Like many, I have been following the news related to border crossings in Texas. It’s a rapidly growing problem, brought to the American southwest and the rest of our nation by Joe Biden and progressive politicians. I have given some thought to this issue and several questions come to mind. First, some background.

In a March 13 article posted online by ABC News, it was reported that sixteen migrants were murdered in late January. “The 16 bodies, along with three others, were found piled in a charred pickup truck in Camargo, across the Rio Grande from Texas, in an area that has been bloodied for years by turf battles between the remnants of the Gulf cartel and the old Zetas cartel.”

Meanwhile, Fox News has reported that many Central American migrants are brought to the border by cartels (aka coyotes) who charge families $1,200 per person for passage to the US border. However, the Biden administration disputes the facts. I watched Fox News this past week and heard both Roberta Jacobson (coordinator for the southern border) and Press Secretary Jen Psaki make the claim that, “Our border is not open.” These statements are outright lies and any rational person is able to see that at present, our border with Mexico is a sieve. However, more than the lies, what bothers me is that these lies went entirely unchallenged by the press, even though the statements were made during White House press briefings. There was not so much as a politely-worded follow-up question for clarification.

In February alone, Customs and Border Patrol officers encountered more than 100,000 people, nearly 10,000 of whom were unaccompanied children. Yet in spite of the large numbers reported by Fox News, we clearly see in the ABC News article that some migrants never make it to the border. So then, my questions are offered for consideration…

First: How many people pay for the services of the cartel/coyote, but never arrive? Let me be clear. How many unfortunate souls are murdered along the way? Think about this for a moment. The cartel/coyote has the migrant’s cash in hand, so what is the motivation to get this person safely to the border? Of course there is so-called chain migration, so if the coyote gets that person to the border, then most of the entire family will follow – at $1,200 each. But if the paying ‘client’ can be dumped along the way, the coyote’s time and trouble are significantly reduced. This gives him more time to get back to Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, or elsewhere to arrange a deal with the next unwitting family.

Second: If these families are so desperate and destitute that they want to come to America, then where did they get the $1,200 per person to pay the cartel/coyote? That sum of money is enormous in Central America. Anyone who has that kind of cash in a developing country is actually quite wealthy.

Third: How many ‘unaccompanied minors’ are abused at the hands of the cartels/coyotes? And God help any girl sent by parents with a ‘trusted’ individual, especially if they are in their teens or twenties. Are we expected to believe these children make the trip without being subjected to abuse by wicked men who take advantage of their situation? What parent would do such a thing to their own child? According to NPR.org, unaccompanied minors at the US border with Mexico numbered at least 9,400 in February of this year. Those were the ones who made it, but we will never know how many died or went missing along the way. I’ll be blunt. Many are sexually abused, raped, and possibly murdered. It’s also possible that some are trafficked into slavery.

The American news media should ask these questions. Jen Psaki has given no answer because the media does not ask! Joe Biden has given no answer because he refuses to take questions at all!

This entire situation needs to be halted right now, today, and it does not matter if you have a progressive outlook welcoming every person who crosses the border legally or illegally, or if you have a more traditional and conservative approach that welcomes a limited number of people based on merit. The journey is uncertain and dangerous. Biden’s executive orders have turned this situation into a complete fiasco and unless it is halted, it will become worse, much worse.

The truth is that this crisis at our southern border (yes, crisis) is enriching evil cartels at the expense of desperate but unknowing people. And the US Federal government is complicit in this tragic situation, operating with its own motivations, few of which are altruistic.

© Jeffery J. Michaels / Plain English Publications 2021
(Quotations allowed with attribution to this blog)

Sources:
Texas bar owner says illegal immigrants hiding in his bathrooms: report. FoxNews.com. By Adam Shaw. March 13, 2021.
Families begin burying murdered Guatemalan migrants. ABCNews.Com. By Sonia Perez D. March 13, 2021.
Border encounters top 100,000 in February as migrant crisis spirals. FoxNews.com. By Adam Shaw. March 10, 2021.
Number Of Unaccompanied Minors Entering U.S. Soared In February. NPR.org. By Vanessa Romo. March 11, 2021.