The greatest country in the free world, the United States of America has ended as we have known it!  It is no longer sovereign, as our southern border has been virtually eliminated by the Biden/Harris Administration. The Border Crisis began even before the January 21, 2021 Inauguration of the Biden Administration. In a welcoming message to hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants, Biden and Harris encouraged people to surge to the southern U.S. border, where even if apprehended, they would not be deported. 

One of Joe Biden’s first Executive Orders was to end the building of the very effective Border Wall on the southern border. The result, thousands, and thousands of immigrants daily since January 21, have flooded and overwhelmed border immigration officials, fences, technology, and facilities to process and temporarily house immigrants.  Regardless of what you call it, the net effect is that it has totally opened the southern border of our country to not only those from South, or Central America countries and Mexico.  Many recently apprehended, included foreign terrorists, including many on active foreign terrorist lists.  They were from Yemen, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, to name but a few.  

All immigration border patrol officers previously assigned to patrol the border to intercept, undocumented persons, drugs, sex traffickers, etc., have been removed to help deal with the huge influx of humanity flooding at border crossing sites.  Many of those coming are children, not accompanied by parents, but rather being transported across deserts by drug cartels!  Many have been recruited to carry in drugs, and many are being sex trafficked to cover the cost of their trip to the border. Drugs and sex trafficking was nearly ended by the prior administration, but that has been totally turned around in only two plus months. 

There are various aged kids coming unaccompanied by adults.  The largest number of what have been described as children, are aged 15-18+, some even involved in cartels and gangs like the notorious MS-13.  One of the most disturbing problems relates to the number of those coming into our country with Covid-19, none wearing masks, or otherwise following Covid-19 pandemic protocols, which all Americans have been subject to for more than a year.  Because of the numbers, many are never screened for Covid-19 and thus spreading it to other immigrants, including our citizens.  Many are never apprehended simply crossing into open areas in Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico and are not ever tested for Covid-19. Spikes in Covid-19 are likely due to those transported into our county.  

We as Americans, not just on the border, but across the country, will pay for this flood of illegals. Illegal immigrants are being transported not just to border states and communities, but also to almost every state in the nation with little or no tracking or their required follow up in immigration courts. Many areas will be overwhelmed thus taxing existing health, education, and welfare resources. 

Finally, I would be remiss if I did not also point out that this crisis is also creating problems for every immigrant trying to enter.  The overcrowding in facilities holding those being processed has created numerous hardships for those being processed and even crowding that may be exacerbating the instances of Covid-19 and its spread to other immigrants and staff.   Poor planning and communications and quick changes of border policies also hurts those trying to enter our country. 

This is the dictionary definition of a Crisis!  Call your U.S. Senator and House of Representatives member and tell them this must stop immediately or we no longer have a country. 

This Column was written by Dave G. a 51 year resident of Madison and former broadcast journalist in Madison and elsewhere.