by Mark Meckler
All hell is about to break loose.
The crisis at the southern border is bad enough already. But what happens next month when Title 42, a Trump-era border enforcement measure, ends?
According to a shocking report from The Daily Caller, already-overwhelmed Border Patrol agents have confessed they are in the dark as to what happens after Title 42 is terminated. An upswing of illegal immigration is already happening, and not surprisingly, the federal government has provided only “limited instructions” on what agents are supposed to do in the wake of the surge.
As the clock ticks down, new polling reflects that Americans are increasingly nervous and want action. 87% hold the federal government responsible for the crisis. Nearly 70% do not believe that D.C. can ever fix the problem.
In light of these numbers, it’s not surprising that 75% of Americans also say that individual states have the right to take action, protecting their citizens and state borders, if the national government fails to do so. Across the political spectrum, Americans cannot hide from the truth any longer: the disaster at our southern border is unquestionably a humanitarian crisis. We’ve watched the situation rapidly devolve and are finally beginning to ask: How much worse does the crisis need to get before our leaders act?
Fentanyl is now the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 45, with the number killed by the drug up 94% since 2019. What is leading to this deadly epidemic? In January 2023 alone, the equivalent of more than 320 million lethal doses of fentanyl were seized at the southern border. Nine thousand eight hundred and thirty-nine pounds of methamphetamine were seized in the same month. One person in the U.S. dies from a fentanyl overdose every seven minutes. Methamphetamine overdose deaths have also skyrocketed.
In addition to drugs, known terrorists are also pouring across our border. At least 53 people on the terror watchlist have been apprehended trying to enter the U.S. between ports of entry so far just this fiscal year. Considering a staggering 1.2 million migrants have escaped past Border Patrol under the current administration, we can only imagine how many terrorists have actually made it through un-apprehended—we are forgetting 9/11 at our peril.
Our unsecured border is a hotspot for human trafficking, which makes predators $150 billion annually. According to shocking estimates, “60% of Latin American children who set out to cross the border alone or with smugglers have been caught by the cartels and are being abused in child pornography or drug trafficking.”
Added to all that—nearly six million illegal immigrants have crossed the border since 2020.
The human tragedy and threat to our nation is becoming more real by the day.
The American people have had enough.
Regardless of political leanings or historic party positions on these issues, they have come to realize this particular crisis transcends party lines.
On what other issue in American politics today do so many voters agree?
The federal government has utterly failed the American people, and it shows in the polling. More than that, D.C. has put our lives on the line.
As a result, the onus now falls on the states to put an end to this deadly invasion—and the Texas legislature and Gov. Greg Abbott have the opportunity to do just that.
Texas Rep. Matt Schaefer recently filed legislation in the Texas legislature that would create and fund a new Texas Border Protection Unit and begin to confront the escalating crisis on the border. Texas Speaker Dade Phelan has already stepped up and said he will help deliver the bill to Governor Greg Abbott for his signature.
This bill would create the position of Border Protection Chief and the Border Protection Unit, which would have the authority to patrol known crossing areas, build border walls, arrest and repel invaders, and crack down on cartels.
If we want the crisis to end, these are the kind of steps we need to take. It will not be easy, but it must be done. This is the start of a movement of states rising up to address real-world problems. D.C. has turned a blind eye to one of the greatest threats to the American way of life in our generation—the states cannot afford to do the same.
The time has come for Texas’ leaders to prove their mettle. It’s one thing to complain about the border relentlessly to score political points. But now that Texas leaders have been presented with legislation and an opportunity to act, failure to do so is impermissible.
D.C. has shown it is either incompetent, unconcerned, or politically unmotivated to address the humanitarian crisis and national security threat at our borders. It’s up to the states and the people—where power belongs anyway—to protect our citizens, rescue the victims, close the cartel routes into our country, and end this humanitarian and national security crisis.
It’s time for the people to take action and push back against the gates of Hell.
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Mark Meckler is an attorney who was co-founder of the Tea Party Movement, served as interim CEO of Parler, and is President of Convention of States, one of the largest grassroots movements in America today with over million active members.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Photo “Joe Biden” by U.S. Secretary of Defense. CC BY 2.0. Background Photo “Border Fence” by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
