President Biden has made no secret that he believes there should be universal, extended background checks for every single gun sale in the United States. But when it comes to releasing unaccompanied migrant children to sponsors, President Biden and his administration are all too happy to skip background checks and hand over the kids to whomever claims them.
Here’s what the Wall Street Journal reported last month, “The government is planning to begin … releasing children before sponsors’ background checks have been completed. … [C]hild welfare officials will conduct welfare checks after a minor is placed with a sponsor—typically a parent, relative or family friend.”
The fact that the Biden Administration would turn children over to adults without verifying their identity or criminal backgrounds is incredibly alarming. “Background checks for thee, but not for me,” seems to be President Biden’s refrain.
Unfortunately, this behavior fits into the Biden Administration’s trend of holding illegal immigrants to a lower standard than American citizens.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still requires all air travelers coming to the United States to get a negative COVID test before boarding, even if the passenger is a U.S. citizen or fully vaccinated. But at the southern border, there is no testing of illegal immigrants when they enter the U.S., despite the record numbers of migrants entering our country, many from areas where coronavirus is spreading like wildfire. I wrote to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas about this double standard, but his response was insufficient.
Add this to the backdrop of a rapidly deteriorating border crisis. I saw the chaos with my own eyes in the Rio Grande Valley. Despite the Border Patrol’s best efforts, the tide of migrants continues to surge unchecked – fueled mostly by cartels. 170,000 illegal migrants were apprehended in March of this year alone. More than 22,000 unaccompanied minors are currently in federal custody.
Our Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers and agents need help. So do Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, but the Biden administration is determined to keep their hands tied. ICE arrests fell by 66% between December 2020 and March 2021. Secretary Mayorkas recently directed ICE and CBP to limit enforcement near courthouses. Many law enforcement officers fear the Biden administration will further restrict where they can do their jobs.
And now President Biden himself is playing footsie with the radical, anti-law enforcement crowd. Just last week, when rally goers repeatedly yelled “Abolish ICE”, the President responded, “I agree with you, I’m working on it, man.”
We need a President and administration who believe in the rule of law and will support the officers sworn to enforce and uphold those laws. However, if President Biden prevents federal officers from enforcing the law, we should empower state and local law enforcement to uphold the laws of this country.
There are common-sense steps we can take to turn back the tide of illegal immigration and enforce our laws.
Approximately 16,000 illegal immigrants have been released by authorities into the U.S. without an immigration court date, or a “notice to appear” (NTA). This practice, which, according to a recent Supreme Court decision is illegal, hurts those who are attempting to seek asylum for legitimate reasons. It gives free rein to those trying to gain entry to the U.S. and live here illegally. That is why I introduced a bill that would prohibit migrants who came into the country illegally from being released into communities without an NTA. The bill would also terminate a migrant’s parole, deferred action, or any other immigration status if they fail to appear for their court hearing.
President Biden said he wanted a “more humane” border policy, but his words and actions have created a humanitarian crisis on our southern border. If he continues to refuse to enforce our nation’s immigration laws, this unprecedented border crisis will become the status quo.
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, and HELP Committees.