'Biden Administration is Deaf to Dangers Presented by Border Crisis,' Immigration Expert Says
12:22 GMT 21.07.2022 (Updated: 19:37 GMT 19.10.2022)
© AFP 2023 / JORDAN VONDERHAAR
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Earlier this week, a special Texas House investigative committee released a report on the deadly school shooting in Uvalde which took place in late May and claimed the lives of 19 children and two adults.
According to a report, the US border crisis has contributed to creating relaxed security in Texas, including in schools, which is also part of why the tragedy at the school in Uvalde happened.
State lawmakers investigating the shooting at Robb Elementary School said that one of the main problems "plaguing" Texas border towns like Uvalde is that local police have been focusing more on spotting vehicles suspected of human smuggling, while security at schools in the area remains too relaxed.
Jessica M. Vaughan, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies based in Washington, DC, explains why the Biden administration's border policies have been a disaster on many levels.
Sputnik: Is the failure to tackle the illegal migrant flow across the US southern border really leading to “relaxed vigilance” at educational institutions in border states, like the Texas House panel report indicates?
Jessica M. Vaughan: We should all be very concerned that American law enforcement agencies seem to be getting almost numb to the dangers presented by the border crisis. This, on top of the tragic deaths in the tractor trailer recently found in San Antonio, ought to be a siren call for the Biden administration that their policies are disastrous and need to be reversed. But the president and his team are deaf to these sirens.
Sputnik: The migration crisis and gun control were among Biden’s most important election promises. The Texas panel investigation once again shows that migrants are easily flowing into the country and mass shootings occur frequently - is this a failure of the current administration to tackle the two issues?
Jessica M. Vaughan: The border policies are a colossal failure on so many levels – public safety, national security, economic cost – but the Biden administration is oblivious to these costs, which are secondary to their ideological and political aims.
Sputnik: Does the report prove that local authorities are unable to tackle the situation with migration and security?
Jessica M. Vaughan: The report is yet another indication that the migration crisis is overwhelming local law enforcement agencies in border communities, and that there is a tremendous human cost to people who live in these communities. The migration crisis is preventing them from fully attending to the needs of their community.
Jessica M. Vaughan: We should all be very concerned that American law enforcement agencies seem to be getting almost numb to the dangers presented by the border crisis. This, on top of the tragic deaths in the tractor trailer recently found in San Antonio, ought to be a siren call for the Biden administration that their policies are disastrous and need to be reversed. But the president and his team are deaf to these sirens.
Sputnik: The migration crisis and gun control were among Biden’s most important election promises. The Texas panel investigation once again shows that migrants are easily flowing into the country and mass shootings occur frequently - is this a failure of the current administration to tackle the two issues?
Jessica M. Vaughan: The border policies are a colossal failure on so many levels – public safety, national security, economic cost – but the Biden administration is oblivious to these costs, which are secondary to their ideological and political aims.
Sputnik: Does the report prove that local authorities are unable to tackle the situation with migration and security?
Jessica M. Vaughan: The report is yet another indication that the migration crisis is overwhelming local law enforcement agencies in border communities, and that there is a tremendous human cost to people who live in these communities. The migration crisis is preventing them from fully attending to the needs of their community.
Sputnik: In response to the findings, the school district is going to add security measures before the start of the 2022-2023 school year, including new perimeter fencing, additional security cameras, upgraded doors, and additional police officers - are these measures enough?
Jessica M. Vaughan: These measures likely will improve the safety of the school children and the school staff, but will not address the impact of the migration crisis on local law enforcement. Locking down our communities is not an appropriate response to illegal migration; instead, the federal government should be compelled into action to control the border, and the Texas government is right to step into the breach until something changes at the federal level.
Jessica M. Vaughan: These measures likely will improve the safety of the school children and the school staff, but will not address the impact of the migration crisis on local law enforcement. Locking down our communities is not an appropriate response to illegal migration; instead, the federal government should be compelled into action to control the border, and the Texas government is right to step into the breach until something changes at the federal level.
