The infamous crisis on the U.S.-Mexico border has wreaked havoc on the economy and caused immense amounts of human suffering and is in dire need of reformation. Over the course of only three fiscal years, three new records have been set in the U.S. for number of people illegally crossing over the southern border. The list of reasons why Congress and the President must take action is miles long, but here are some of the significant highlights.
1. Economic Disruption Caused by Border Crisis
The ongoing crisis on our southern border has caused significant economic disruptions for many American businesses. The number of people seeking to enter the country without the authorization to do so has been elevated to such an extent for so long that we’ve seen several port closures, which have had significant ripple effects across the American economy.
Recent years have seen closures or crossing limitations implemented at the border crossings at El Paso, Eagle Pass, Lukeville, and San Ysidro. For example, the closure of the Eagle Pass rail gateway last fall cost an estimated $2.32 million per day. Even worse, the estimated economic impact of the shutdowns of Eagle Pass and El Paso during the winter was a $200 million daily loss for the U.S. economy. In addition, we’ve heard from many businesses confronting the challenges caused by these port closures. The time it took for legal entrants to cross into southern Arizona increased from 30 minutes to roughly 2-3 hours during the recent Lukeville port closure.
2. Preserving the Status Quo Preserves Inhumane Immigration Practices
Many elected officials decry the untold human suffering over the past several years, and rightfully so. However, it is disconcerting when those elected officials and their supporters actively oppose bipartisan efforts to fix these serious public policy problems. Not addressing these issues means there is no end in sight to the widespread reports of rape and sexual violence being perpetrated upon migrant women and children seeking to come to the U.S. It also means that we will likely see other cases of migrants dying on their dangerous journey to our country. Our woefully insufficient border security measures and our outdated asylum laws are directly contributing to the problems associated with these current migratory patterns and practices. Changes are long overdue, and they are desperately needed today.
3. Fentanyl Will Continue to Pour into the U.S.
Through last December, the federal government intercepted over 27,000 pounds of fentanyl coming into the U.S. on our southern border. These drugs are incredibly lethal, as evidenced by the growing number of overdose deaths. In 2022, 73,654 deaths in the U.S. were attributed to a fentanyl overdose, and over a quarter of a million people have died from a fentanyl overdose since 2018. Most of the fentanyl smuggled into the United States from Mexico is made from fentanyl precursor chemicals from China. A recent study by Yale University and the Mayo Clinic found that fentanyl deaths tripled from 2016 to 2021. Failing to address the situation on our border will only perpetuate the status quo that has taken too many American lives.
4. Broader Changes to Immigration System Can’t Happen Amid Current Crisis
Our legal immigration system has many shortcomings, and the business community across the country wants to address all of them in due course. However, there simply is no way for the federal government to enact permanent changes to visa quotas or create new programs to tackle acute workforce challenges until the problems on our southern border are under control.
Go deeper: If these reasons weren’t enough to relay the importance of taking action to resolve this crisis quickly, check out the rest of the list from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
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