Conservatives were stunned by an Axios report published Tuesday that claimed the U.S.-Mexico border is “more fortified than it’s ever been” and argued the notion from critics that America has an “open border” is a “myth.”
In addition to the gaslighting in the piece, not a single person with direct experience at the border was interviewed for the report, nor was congressional testimony included, Fox News reporter Bill Melugin, who's been among the best in the industry at covering the border crisis, pointed out. The only individual quoted for the report was a Cato Institute scholar.
Here's how Axios presented its case:
As the Biden administration grapples with the soaring number of migrants and asylum-seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border, conservative pundits and politicians have upped accusations that some Democrats support "open border" policies.
The big picture: By using the term "open border," conservatives — including Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, who is seeking the role of House speaker — are suggesting that anyone can get into the U.S. without much hassle. But the reality is that the southern border is more fortified than it's ever been.
Reality check: Since 1992, the U.S. has quadrupled the number of Border Patrol agents — from less than 5,000 to nearly 20,000 today.
- Barriers, walls, and fences have been erected along portions of the 1,951-mile U.S.-Mexico border, in addition to new Border Patrol outposts and high-tech surveillance systems.
- The Border Patrol regularly breaks border arrest records, highlighting the difficulty of entering the country illegally.
- Most recently, Biden decided to go forward with a border wall in South Texas.
- Lines at ports of entry have gotten longer because of new requirements to enter the U.S., putting pressure to expand hours at newer ports of entry like the one in Santa Teresa, New Mexico.
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The story led to a flood of comments pointing out why the report was so off-base.
.@RussContreras how do you write this ridiculous article without even speaking to anyone from Border Patrol, CBP, or DHS? Your only quote is from the Cato Institute, & you don’t even acknowledge Congressional testimony from Border Patrol leadership that the border is not secure.
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) October 17, 2023
This is stunningly ignorant of the undisputed facts and images from the actual border… FY23 saw more illegal crossings than at any other time in history. Last month alone saw some of the highest monthly numbers for any month ever on record… visit the border https://t.co/eengVZ4INn
— Griff Jenkins (@GriffJenkins) October 17, 2023
Amazing how numbers like that lead Axios to think that the border is secure and orderly
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) October 17, 2023
If the 1.6 MILLION illegal “gotaways” who have escaped into the country since Biden took office is not enough to disprove this article, here is then-Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz testifying in March that we don't have “operational control” of the border.pic.twitter.com/YXJMqey0Dz
— Tommy Pigott (@TommyPigott) October 17, 2023
ya, super fortified. pic.twitter.com/FBctBtUzUB
— Abigail Jackson 🇺🇸 (@abigailmarone) October 17, 2023
The reality is that I’ve literally witnessed illegal aliens just walk across the border.
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) October 17, 2023
"The southern border is more fortified than it's ever been."https://t.co/2HBXR25MUb
— Spencer Lindquist 🇺🇸 (@SpencerLndqst) October 17, 2023
This must be why a record number of people have crossed, because it’s so hard to cross.
— Wade Miller (@WadeMiller_USMC) October 17, 2023
"more fortified than it's ever been"https://t.co/JRjuDJtu6R
— Steve Wilson (@wilstv) October 17, 2023
"more fortified than it's ever been"https://t.co/Xzqag0eZ58
— Steve Wilson (@wilstv) October 17, 2023
Axios, the well-funded left-wing disinformation org, wants you to believe their lying reporters & not your own eyes that recently witnessed CBP literally cutting down this barbed wire & fist bumping illegal immigrants https://t.co/nNwPQeOq81
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) October 17, 2023
Open border = turn yourself into CBP, get automatically released into the US. This is the Biden policy. Mass, government-sponsored resettlement of America with limitless millions of illegals. https://t.co/0M0Tk5tUHD
— Stephen Miller (@StephenM) October 17, 2023
5 million+ border crossings and the border is "fortified"?
— Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) October 17, 2023
What a joke. https://t.co/ehexPTsWJW
Shame on Axios for downplaying the realities of the southern border.
— Marsha Blackburn (@VoteMarsha) October 17, 2023
The fact is our border is wide open. Over 1.5 million gotaways have crossed the border since Biden took office.
Get your facts straight, our border is most definitely NOT “more fortified than it’s ever been.” https://t.co/a8hBtj5pbj
1. About 3 million people were “encountered” by USCBP illegally entering the U.S. in fiscal year 2023.
— Heritage Foundation (@Heritage) October 17, 2023
2. 304,000 illegal aliens were encountered this August alone.
3. 75% of August’s inadmissible aliens were freely let in by Biden’s DHShttps://t.co/mcDySfCr6W
4. 425,000 unaccompanied alien children were let into the country between Biden taking office in ’21 and today.
— Heritage Foundation (@Heritage) October 17, 2023
5. 407,983 convicted criminal aliens are currently on ICE’s “non-detained docket” of over 5 million cases.
Gaslighting on max from Axios.https://t.co/mcDySfCr6W
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