Secure the border. Then, we can figure out how to create a rational immigration system

The border security and immigration debate continues to be contentious, and candidates have increasingly been highlighting it ahead of this year’s November midterm elections.

Gov. Greg Abbott recently made headlines when he authorized the busing of new immigrants from Texas to New York and Washington, D.C. Big-city mayors there made the governor’s point for him when they announced that they didn’t have the resources to take care of all the people being dropped off.

When you live in New England, for example, it is easy to push for leniency on illegal immigration. But, it is a much more challenging situation for border states.

People on opposing sides of the political aisle label each other as either uncompassionate or naive about national security. How can we pierce the political bombast and see the issue more clearly?

Let’s start by looking at a few general principles regarding immigration.

First, our government’s primary responsibility is the safety of its citizens, and that is possible only with a secure border — something that every sovereign nation must have. By “secure,” one typically means being in control of who enters and exits.

Second, the truth is that a large majority of people crossing the southern border into Texas are desperate people escaping terrible conditions or folks just looking for a better life. While all of us want to help people in dreadful situations, we must acknowledge that our local communities’ ability to absorb immigrants is limited.

Third, our porous perimeter provides drug, arms and human traffickers a conduit into the United States. This setup exacerbates our crime problems.

Fourth, if we subtly declare that our border is open, illegal crossing attempts will increase. President Joe Biden proved this phenomenon when he announced that he would discontinue Title 42 application. That provision, which the Trump administration enacted during the COVID pandemic, allows the federal government to quickly deport unauthorized immigrants for the purpose of restricting the spread of infectious diseases.

This year, our southern Border Patrol agents made 2.3 million arrests. That is more than the 1.7 million in 2021, which had set the record.

While I understand the sentiment of those who oppose Title 42 application, it is also the case that the number of people who drowned in the Rio Grande reached a miserable record in 2022. And 144,000 unaccompanied minors crossed in 2021. That is anything but a humanitarian outcome.

In short, we must get control of our borders. The federal government should allow Border Patrol agents to bar entry to those who are not allowed under our laws. In some segments, unfortunately, the only way to accomplish that feat is to erect a physical barrier.

Border Patrol agents should continue to act in a manner that respects the dignity of every human being they encounter. With rare exceptions, that is what they do every day, as I observed when I toured a border facility in 2019.

If we are ever able to completely regulate our borders, we should have a conversation about a rigorous amnesty program for the millions of people living illegally in the United States. But not before. Border integrity must happen first.