Under President Joe Biden’s lax border policies, with U.S. Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez as a willing accomplice, our borders have become a welcome mat for illegal immigrants, exacerbating the fentanyl crisis and compromising our national security.
Despite Gluesenkamp Perez's previous assertion that “no one stays awake at night over the southern border” and her opposition to a Republican bill aimed at securing the border last year, election year pressures have prompted a sudden, superficial shift in her stance.
The House Resolution 7372 bill, which she now endorses, is a toothless gesture, laden with loopholes, especially for those claiming asylum — a process so widely exploited under Biden's administration that it essentially grants automatic entry into the U.S.
Migrants are coached on social media and by non-governmental organizations on precisely what to say upon entering the U.S., a strategy codified in the text of Gluesenkamp Perez’s bill.
It states, “The Secretary of Homeland Security may not expel an alien to a country if — the alien’s life or freedom would be threatened in such country because of the alien’s race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion; or there are substantial grounds for believing that the alien would be in danger of being subjected to torture if expelled to such country.”
Once this claim is made, the U.S. government cannot expel the alien, and they are given access to asylum lawyers, allowing them up to eight years in the U.S. to pursue their asylum claim, turning asylum into a de facto visa.
Previously, asylum seekers were required to make their claims from a third country before being granted access to the U.S., enabling immigration officers to vet the individuals and their asylum claims more thoroughly. This process was in place when I assisted several Iraqis who had risked their lives for the U.S. military in Iraq to obtain asylum in the U.S. between 2011 and 2015. Despite years of working, living and fighting alongside us, they were required to go to a third country for vetting before finally being granted visas to the U.S.
The current influx of migrants knows exactly what to say upon entering the U.S., seeking out border patrol immediately rather than evading them. I observed this behavior first hand several weeks ago when I visited the border just east of San Diego. I saw hundreds of migrants, primarily from China and the Middle East, crossing the border where the wall ends and immediately seeking out border patrol officers to claim asylum.
While there, I witnessed a disturbing pattern: Migrants were discarding their identification documents on the Mexican side of the border just before crossing into the U.S. or just after entering, making it incredibly difficult for immigration officials to vet them. This is a glaring security threat; we have no real knowledge of who is being allowed into our nation.
This legislation epitomizes Democratic hypocrisy and mismanagement. It professes to strengthen our borders, yet it fails to address the glaring asylum loophole or to provide any tangible means of physical border reinforcement. Instead, it diverts a staggering sum overseas and lining the pockets of the military-industrial complex, all while our own border security suffers.
The financial irresponsibility of this bill is alarming. It adds an additional $66 billion to our already colossal $34 trillion national debt, contributing to inflation and diminishing the purchasing power of hard working Americans.
This tactic, emblematic of Washington Democrats, avoids direct tax increases while covertly reducing our earnings through inflation, all in a bid to fund their insatiable appetite for foreign intervention and defense spending.
In essence, Gluesenkamp Perez’s bill is a clear betrayal of American values and security, indicating that Democrats are more invested in satisfying defense contractors and foreign interests than in protecting American citizens. This bill is an affront to all demanding secure borders and fiscal responsibility, highlighting the urgent need to challenge the status quo in Washington D.C., where the interests of special interests and the defense industry are placed above the well-being and security of the American people.
The solution is straightforward: bring back the previous rules for asylum claims. That solution was part of H.R. 2, which Gluesenkamp Perez voted against. Unlike her, if I’m given the privilege to represent the people of Washington’s Third District, I’ll deliver real legislation like H.R. 2, which solves the border crisis that is threatening our families and creating a humanitarian disaster.
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Joe Kent is a Republican candidate for Congress in Washington’s Third Congressional District. Incumbent Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, a Democrat, will be offered an opportunity to respond to this commentary or publish an op-ed on a different subject.
