The Manifest Failure of the U.S. Border-Control System
Reminder: Our online Zoom conference on open borders continues this Monday evening, November 4, with Don Boudreaux, former president of The Foundation for Economic Education and current professor of economics at George Mason University. 7 p.m.-8 p.m. Eastern Time. Register here.
Reminder: I’ll be speaking at the JFK Lancer conference and also at the CAPA conference, which are being held on November 22-24 in Dallas. There is also an excellent third JFK conference on the same weekend sponsored by the JFK Historical Group. All three of them are fantastic JFK-assassination-related conferences. I highly recommend registering for all three and then picking and choosing which sessions you would like to attend at all three conferences. The registration prices are moderate and it’s a great way to support three great conferences. I will have some of my JFK books at my presentations to autograph and sell at a discounted price. I hope to see you all there!
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Yesterday the New York Times carried an article entitled “Biden Wanted to Fix Immigration, but Leaves Behind a System That Is Still Broken.” The article pointed out that when it comes to America’s decades-old system of immigration controls, Biden had “big ambitions” for “remaking” it. Like his predecessors, “he said he would secure the border.” That’s not all. “He promised to make the asylum system work. He vowed to protect Dreamers. On the first day of his presidency, he proposed legislation to create a path to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants. Most importantly, he said he would bridge the partisan divide that has long prevented any overhaul of an archaic immigration system that his aides often describe as a ‘decades-old jalopy’ in desperate need of upgrades.”
Alas, just like his predecessors, however, including Donald Trump, Biden failed to make America’s decades-old immigration-control system work. As the Times article pointed out, “But for four years, most of those goals were stymied by the need to confront a worldwide surge of displaced people fleeing their homes and a determined Republican opposition that seized on scenes of a chaotic border to block action and damage the president politically.”
A question naturally arises: Given that Biden tried his best to make the immigration-control system work, why do right-wing proponents of immigration controls say that he implemented an “open-border” policy?
After all, it is undisputed that throughout the Biden administration, the Border Patrol has continued doing its best to enforce America’s decades-old system of immigration controls. The highway checkpoints are still there. Trump’s Berlin Wall is still there. The concertina wire is still there. ICE is still there. The warrantless searches are still there. The boarding of Greyhound buses is still there. The surveillance towers are still there. The drones are still there. The arrests, criminal prosecutions, convictions, and incarcerations are still there. The forced deportations are still there.
Biden did not do anything to dismantle any of those police-state measures. Moreover, there is no evidence that Biden ever issued a secret order to the Border Patrol, ICE, Homeland Security, or other federal officials to stand down and not enforce fede
Article from The Future of Freedom Foundation
The Future of Freedom Foundation (FFF) is a leading voice in libertarian thought, tirelessly advocating for individual liberty, free markets, and limited government. Established in 1989, the FFF is more than just a think tank; it’s a hub for intellectual exploration and policy advocacy that draws on the classical liberal tradition and Austrian economics. Through insightful articles, videos, and events featuring top libertarian minds, the organization provides a robust critique of mainstream politics and policies, championing instead the principles that underlie a truly free society. For anyone seeking a principled stand for freedom and limited government, the Future of Freedom Foundation serves as an invaluable resource and an inspiring beacon.
