Vice President Kamala Harris has pointed to stalled bipartisan legislation as a lost opportunity for solving the border crisis, placing the blame squarely on the Trump administration for its discontinuation. Harris has argued that this so-called “Border Bill” would bring much-needed relief to overwhelmed border states, reduce illegal crossings, and address asylum backlogs. But has she been completely honest about what this bill would actually do? On closer examination, the legislation in question, the Bipartisan Border Solutions Act, prioritizes processing efficiency rather than directly confronting the issues of border security, deterrent measures, or the safety of American citizens. For border patrol agents and residents on the front lines of this crisis, this approach appears to fall short, focusing more on moving people through the system quickly than on keeping American communities safe.
What the Border Bill Actually Proposes
The Bipartisan Border Solutions Act, introduced in 2021, was designed to streamline the processing of asylum seekers and reduce the significant backlogs in immigration courts. The bill proposed several steps toward this goal, such as creating regional processing centers to handle the initial screening, medical checks, and credible fear assessments for those entering the U.S. These centers would also serve as short-term holding facilities before migrants are released or transferred. Additionally, the bill aimed to expand access to legal orientation for detainees and speed up the decision-making process by hiring additional immigration judges and asylum officers.
One of the most touted elements of the bill was a pilot program to expedite asylum claims. However, this program would not necessarily lead to a decline in asylum claims or a reduction in illegal entries; instead, it aimed to provide faster resolutions for those already in the system. The legislation also introduced protections for unaccompanied minors by mandating criminal background checks for potential sponsors, which is an important safety measure for children but unrelated to deterrence or border security.
What the bill did not include was language on increasing physical security at the border, adding more Border Patrol agents to prevent illegal crossings, or building additional barriers. This omission points to a fundamental difference in the objectives of the bill versus the security-focused measures that many Americans believe are necessary. For residents on the ground in border states like Arizona and Texas, where daily encounters with traffickers and illegal crossings have become disturbingly common, the bill’s emphasis on processing over prevention seems inadequate.
The Reality on the Ground: CBP Agents’ Concerns
CBP agents and border sheriffs have voiced serious concerns about the rising influx of illegal crossings and the impacts on public safety. Sheriff Mark Lamb of Arizona and Sheriff Mark Dannels of Cochise County describe an increasingly chaotic situation along the border, with high-speed chases involving teenage smugglers, often recruited by the cartels, becoming routine. “We’ve had 500 to 600 pursuits in 31 months in this county alone,” Sheriff Dannels said. “That’s unheard of.” He and others argue that they are outnumbered and under-resourced, a reality that the Bipartisan Border Solutions Act does not address.
CBP agents have expressed frustration over policies that seem to favor swift processing over strict enforcement, leaving them feeling unsupported and even ignored by federal officials. As one agent noted, while the Biden administration and other proponents of the bill talk about compassionate immigration policies, they fail to recognize the daily dangers agents face. With the cartels now recruiting children as young as 12 to smuggle people and drugs, the stakes are higher than ever, yet the bill falls short of providing any tangible solutions to reduce these criminal operations at the border.
Furthermore, the cartels’ use of “decoy” vehicles to distract agents from actual smuggling loads puts additional strain on law enforcement. This tactic allows one vehicle to lure law enforcement into a pursuit, while a second vehicle filled with migrants or drugs escapes. Such techniques exploit the thinly spread resources of local and federal law enforcement and highlight the growing sophistication of cartel operations, which the proposed legislation doesn’t address.
Families on the Border: Living with the Consequences
For American families living near the border, the chaos has become a grim part of daily life. Kim, a rancher in Eagle Pass, Texas, has witnessed firsthand the violence and disruption brought by unchecked illegal crossings. She described finding “rape trees” on her property—trees where cartel members hang the undergarments of assaulted women as trophies. Beyond these horrific discoveries, she and her family frequently encounter trespassers cutting their fences, stealing supplies, and, in some cases, even entering their home. Kim and her husband have found murdered bodies on their land, evidence of the brutal criminal activity that has spilled across the border.
This distressing situation is echoed in communities across Arizona and Texas, where residents are forced to contend with violent incidents, property damage, and the fear that accompanies the cartel’s brazen operations. These residents question whether the Bipartisan Border Solutions Act, with its focus on administrative efficiency, would have any meaningful impact on their safety or alleviate the constant threat of criminal activity in their neighborhoods.
Would the Bill Make Americans Safer?
Based on its provisions, the Bipartisan Border Solutions Act would primarily have expedited the processing of migrants, especially those seeking asylum. This may help reduce the immigration court backlog, but it doesn’t address the critical issue of border security. As Sheriff Lamb noted, more rapid processing could even incentivize higher numbers of individuals to attempt the journey, knowing they’ll be processed swiftly once they arrive.
For border residents and law enforcement alike, true security involves more robust deterrent measures, such as increased patrol presence, additional barriers, and stronger policies to discourage illegal crossings. By focusing on moving individuals through the asylum process more rapidly, the bill’s approach could unintentionally create a more efficient pathway for illegal entries, without the infrastructure to prevent further influxes.
In short, while the Bipartisan Border Solutions Act offers solutions to reduce case backlogs and improve migrant processing, it does not directly address the critical concerns of security, deterrence, and protection for U.S. citizens and communities. By prioritizing efficiency over enforcement, it may expedite the entry process but leaves the foundational issues of illegal border crossings and cartel exploitation untouched.
Conclusion
Vice President Harris’s portrayal of the Bipartisan Border Solutions Act as a comprehensive solution to border issues may be accurate in a limited sense, but it is also incomplete. The bill addresses one facet of the border crisis—processing—but does little to confront the deeper, more dangerous issues of illegal crossings, cartel activity, and public safety risks that directly impact Americans living near the border. For CBP agents, sheriffs, and residents facing these threats daily, the bill offers limited relief. What they need, and what they continue to advocate for, are policies that genuinely prioritize border security and deterrence, not just efficiency.
As Americans prepare to head to the polls, it’s worth asking whether efficiency alone can solve the complex issues at the border or if a more comprehensive, security-focused approach is the true solution.
Dave Soulia | FYIVT
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