For a fleeting moment, I was almost convinced by The New York Times that President Biden has taken even an infinitesimally small step in trying to manage the appalling numbers of illegal migrants flooding into the U.S. at the southern border. But per usual, anything read after the first three paragraphs of any immigration article at the Times will show that Democrats never care to do anything meaningful to halt illegal border crossers.
The story in question on Tuesday, no doubt the product of one quick call from an administration official to a couple of friendly reporters, declared at the top that “after months of debate in the White House, the Biden administration has begun to address a small slice of the problem: the woefully backlogged process to decide who qualifies for asylum, or protection from persecution, in the United States.”
The backlogged asylum litigation — which remains close to 1 million cases, each one taking an average of nearly five years to resolve (when the illegal border crosser actually bothers to show up for court) — isn’t “a small slice of the problem.” It’s the biggest problem. Protection for asylum seekers is intended for foreigners persecuted by their governments for political or religious beliefs. It wasn’t supposed to be a back door for all of South and Central America’s destitute to come here for jobs and welfare.
But word has gotten out south of Texas that Washington doesn’t really care. Both Republicans and Democrats have for years sat on their thumbs as impoverished Salvadorans, Guatemalans, and Hondurans have dumped themselves by the hundreds of thousands into the care of the American taxpayer. More recently, it’s Cubans, Venezuelans, and Nicaraguans. The surest way to buy time in the U.S. after breaking in illegally is to claim asylum. And it’s just enough time to disappear into the country (even with those very serious and stern court order papers destined for an outdated address).
The Times report went on to say that the Biden administration is attempting to process asylum seekers “faster” by giving the power to determine the validity of their claims to a number of officers who can make a decision quicker than it takes for the case to reach an immigration judge in court.
“Migrants will be interviewed 21 to 45 days after they apply for asylum, far faster than the years it can take in the existing immigration court system,” the report said. “A decision on whether the migrant is granted asylum must come quickly — within two to five weeks of the interview.”
The Times asserted that only a quarter of the 99 asylum seekers evaluated under the new rules were granted permission to stay. The rest were told to pack their bags and get the heck out.
Just kidding! The ones denied asylum status were then simply thrown into the mix of other migrants to appeal their cases in normal court proceedings.
In other words, it’s now easier to gain asylum status by illegally invading the country.
(By the way, 99 asylum seekers is almost .05 percent of the total number of migrants who illegally crossed the border in just August. There’s that Biden efficiency we’ve come to rely on!)
This would be like claiming to be pro-law enforcement by supporting the hiring of more police officers who have no authority to arrest suspected criminals.
Finally, in the 10th paragraph, the Times admitted the administration’s changes do absolutely nothing to mitigate the overwhelmed border. “The new rules … will not change the overloaded system for dealing with immigrants who do not claim asylum,” the report said. “And the challenge of how to quickly deport those denied asylum will remain.”
Cue the overhead lights and confetti. Surprise! You’ve once again been had!
It’s another reminder that Democrats don’t see the crush of migrants as a problem to be stopped, but as an opportunity (new voters) to be managed.
