Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has had a change of heart over the immigration crisis on her state’s southern border with Mexico.
Hobbs, a Democrat, recently reversed a decision not to deploy the National Guard. She sent over 200 troops from the Tucson sector and committed up to $5 million in Arizona taxpayers’ money to deploy troops to the Lukeville port of entry.
Hobbs also demanded that the federal government reimburse Arizona for $512.5 million spent on “migrant transportation, drug interdiction and law enforcement” under the Biden administration. She promised to seek reimbursement “regularly” from the feds for mitigation of Arizona’s border crisis.
What sparked the flurry of activity from our heretofore passive chief? Finally, the direct expenses to Arizona could no longer be ignored. They’re affecting Arizona’s budget and future financial viability.
For Hobbs and many fellow Democrat mayors, governors, and other elected officials, compassionate sympathy with the plight of illegal immigrants was a good image so long as the expense was borne elsewhere.
These elected officials formed hundreds of sanctuary cities, counties, and states. Mayors in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and other big cities basked in assuring that theirs was an open, caring place.
Like President Joe Biden himself, these mayors welcomed illegal aliens to our shores. Sure, they heard the reports of complaints from border communities suffering from growing masses of needy illegal immigrants, but those complaints were mostly just from red-state conservatives anyway.
However, when the influx of illegal aliens became so overwhelming that they had to be exported around the country, perspectives changed. Too late, Hobbs and the others realized this growth was out of control and the fiscal demands truly unsustainable. Their pleas for help from the feds were ignored.
It’s a good thing that our governor now acknowledges there is a problem, but Hobbs whiffed on her response. We don’t need more money, we don’t need more troops; we need to have the resolve to enforce the law against unauthorized entries into our country.
Instead, we advertise to the world that America welcomes all migrants and those who make it here will be admitted under the clever scheme of supposedly seeking asylum. They will be provided with transportation into the country, food, shelter, medical care, education, and social services.
We are then shocked when millions stream in from the Third World. Hobbs claimed additional funds were necessary to “manage the influx of migrants,” thereby unwittingly admitting the mistake. New money flowing to the southern border has not been used to stem the flow, but to expedite the process of admitting even more invaders.
We desperately need a policy of admitting only those who are legally qualified for admission and turning away the rest. It’s not that complicated or costly. It would save money and, possibly, the future of our nation.
The downside to unlimited entry goes far beyond the expenses borne by local governments faced with accommodating illegal immigrants’ short-term needs. An estimated 15 million to 20 million migrants have entered our country illegally so far in this century, about 6.6 million processed in Biden’s three years alone.
Most of these illegal aliens may not mean us any harm, but among them hide terrorists, criminals, and foreign agents.
America is facing some daunting challenges. Most of our schools are failing to improve the education of underprivileged children. Public spending and our crushing debt load cast a black cloud over our future.
Waves of lawlessness and organized criminal behavior plague us. The influence of Marxist-inspired social theories threatens to drive Americans, once believers in e pluribus unum, into warring identity enclaves.
Simply put, America is not in a position to spend more money or take on more problems, let alone accommodate a tsunami of 20 million illegal aliens who will exacerbate every existing problem.
America is famously a nation defined not by “blood and soil” but by the values on which we were founded—equality of all before the law, representative government, rule of law, limited government, and individual rights.
The illegal immigration of tens of millions undermines each of those principles, American sovereignty, and what America means to the world.
The Daily Signal publishes a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Heritage Foundation.
Have an opinion about this article? To sound off, please email letters@DailySignal.com, and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state.
