Ending Immigration Restrictions Would Not Cause Chaos

False Assumption: Reversing Trump-era immigration restrictions would increase border crossings modestly without provoking political crisis.

Summaries Written by FARAgent (AI) on February 10, 2026 · Pending Verification

Border stations filled, migrant encounters doubled, and cities from El Paso to New York and Chicago struggled to house and process new arrivals. Families and children were released because there was nowhere to hold them, immigration courts sank deeper into backlog, and the administration that had promised a more humane system ended up relying on expulsions, detention, and other hard-line measures it had denounced. The assumption before this was that rolling back Trump-era restrictions would produce only a manageable increase, not a political crisis. That view had a logic: Trump’s policies were widely condemned as cruel, Biden aides believed Latino voters did not want a harsh border message, and many advocates argued that migration flows were driven more by conditions abroad than by White House signaling.

That assumption took hold during the 2020 transition, even as some immigration specialists warned that a visible policy reversal could trigger a surge. In office, Biden moved to unwind measures such as Remain in Mexico and narrowed some enforcement practices, while keeping or later reviving others under pressure. The evidence for the original view did not disappear. A growing body of research argues that border policy often has limited power over migration flows, that violence, poverty, and state failure in sending countries matter more, and that some Trump-era tools, including Title 42, did not actually “shut down the border.” Analysts at Cato and the Migration Policy Institute have argued that Biden did not simply “cause” the surge, and that encounters are not the same thing as successful unlawful settlement.

But increasingly the assumption is questioned because the politics were plainly not modest. CBP encounter numbers hit record levels, DHS inspectors general described workforce fatigue and overwhelmed facilities, and Democratic officials in northern cities began sounding like border hawks once buses started arriving. The White House itself tacitly acknowledged the problem by tightening asylum access and authorizing new crackdowns in 2024. An influential minority of researchers and strategists now argue that even if enforcement does not fully control migration, public promises of leniency can still change incentives at the margin and, more important, can produce a severe political backlash when the system lacks capacity. The debate now is less about whether the rollback was humane in intent than whether the expectation of a calm, manageable transition ever matched the realities at the border.

Status: A small but growing and influential group of experts think this was false

People Involved

Joseph R. Biden Jr. grasped the risk that his humane immigration pledges could increase border crossings as president-elect in late 2020, yet he failed to implement the deterrent measures his own advisers recommended. He entered office committed to reversing Trump-era restrictions, viewing the changes as a moral correction after family separations. Warnings from his transition team about potential chaos went unheeded. The resulting surge in encounters doubled and then kept climbing through 2021 and 2022. ^[1][5]
Ron Klain, Mike Donilon, Jennifer O’Malley Dillon, and Anita Dunn served as Biden’s closest confidants and mainstream Democratic operatives who underestimated both the scale of migration and the political backlash it would provoke. They believed stronger enforcement would alienate key voters and therefore counseled against it. Their influence shaped the early administration’s reluctance to prioritize border deterrence. The political costs became clear only after public anger mounted. ^[1]
Adam Cox, David Hausman, and Mary S. Hoopes, law professors at NYU, Berkeley, and Pepperdine respectively, published a working paper that used Customs and Border Protection data to demonstrate that prominent border enforcement policies had produced few large immediate effects on migration flows. Their analysis examined nine major actions from the Obama through Biden administrations. The paper challenged the prevailing narrative that policy shifts alone drove crossings. It appeared at a moment when both parties continued to treat enforcement changes as decisive. ^[2][3]
Rodolfo Karisch, the retired chief of the Border Patrol’s Rio Grande Valley sector, warned that ending the Migrant Protection Protocols would invite chaos along the border. He spoke from direct operational experience managing one of the busiest sectors. His prediction aligned with those of other veterans who foresaw an overwhelmed system. The policy reversal proceeded anyway. ^[9]
Theresa Cardinal Brown, director of immigration and cross-border policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, urged Biden’s team to manage public expectations to avoid recreating the horrid conditions seen in previous surges. She advised realism about absorption capacity during the transition period. Her counsel was delivered alongside other warnings in late 2020. The administration moved forward with rapid policy changes. ^[9]

▶ Supporting Quotes (65)

“Mr. Biden seemed to grasp the risk. But he and his top aides failed to act on those recommendations.”— Is the NYT Becoming Realist on Immigration?

“Former Biden administration officials told The Times that Mr. Biden and his circle of close confidants — including Ron Klain, who was chief of staff during the president’s first two years, Mike Donilon, Jennifer O’Malley Dillon and Anita Dunn — made two crucial errors.”— Is the NYT Becoming Realist on Immigration?

“experts advising his transition team warned in a Zoom briefing in the final weeks of 2020, according to people with direct knowledge of that briefing. That jump, they said, could provoke a political crisis. “Chaos” was the word the advisers had used in a memo during the campaign.”— Is the NYT Becoming Realist on Immigration?

“In a new working paper that draws on detailed data from Customs and Border Protection, we show that new restrictions on border crossings under both Biden and Trump had little immediate effect.”— Fact Checking the “Success” of Trump Border Patrol Policies

“Biden removed or expelled 3.3 million border crossers—three times as many as Trump. Biden even managed to remove a similar percentage of crossers as Trump’s four years.”— Biden Didn’t Cause the Border Crisis, Part 1: Summary

“Mr. Biden seemed to grasp the risk. But he and his top aides failed to act on those recommendations.”— How Biden Ignored Warnings and Lost Americans’ Faith in Immigration

“experts advising his transition team warned in a Zoom briefing in the final weeks of 2020, according to people with direct knowledge of that briefing.”— How Biden Ignored Warnings and Lost Americans’ Faith in Immigration

“Former President Donald Trump, now the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, and his allies are arguing for the return of the policy, practically describing it as a magic wand that will restore order to the border.”— Title 42 Postmortem: U.S. Pandemic-Era Expulsions Policy Did Not Shut Down the Border

“Stephen Miller, a Trump senior advisor, told The New York Times a new order could be based on “severe strains of the flu, tuberculosis, scabies, other respiratory illnesses like RSV and so on, or just a general issue of mass migration being a public-health threat and conveying a variety of communicable diseases.””— Title 42 Postmortem: U.S. Pandemic-Era Expulsions Policy Did Not Shut Down the Border

“The bureaucratic charge was led in 1976 by the Commissioner of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, Leonard F. Chapman, who published an article in Reader’s Digest entitled "Illegal Aliens: Time to Call a Halt!", warning Americans that a new "silent invasion" was threatening the nation: When I became commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) in 1973, we were out-manned, under-budgeted, and confronted by a growing, silent invasion of illegal aliens.”— Why Border Enforcement Backfired

““The horrible situation we see today when it comes to immigration in America was created by Donald Trump by executive order,” Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) said in an interview. “The good news is what is done by executive order can be undone by executive order. So we are setting out to get back to a stable, thoughtful system of immigration.””— Biden plans to spurn Trump immigration restrictions, but risk of new border crisis looms

“President-elect Joe Biden will take office under pressure to repudiate and rescind many, if not most, of the more than 400 executive actions President Trump has used to tighten the U.S. immigration system.”— Biden plans to spurn Trump immigration restrictions, but risk of new border crisis looms

“someone who views immigrants as a benefit to the nation — the complete opposite of Trump’s view.”— Biden plans to spurn Trump immigration restrictions, but risk of new border crisis looms

““Just doing away with it will invite chaos,” said Rodolfo Karisch, who retired in January as the chief of the Border Patrol’s Rio Grande Valley sector in South Texas.”— Biden plans to spurn Trump immigration restrictions, but risk of new border crisis looms

““It’ll be a matter of managing expectations,” said Theresa Cardinal Brown, director of immigration and cross-border policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington. “Biden will have to say: We intend to do this, but we have to do it well so that we don’t re-create horrid conditions at the border.”— Biden plans to spurn Trump immigration restrictions, but risk of new border crisis looms

“In the pick of Alejandro Mayorkas to head DHS, Biden found someone who touched all bases. A Jewish Cuban immigrant with prior service at not only the DHS but as head of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Mayorkas is a minority, loyal, experienced and a known commodity to the activists clamoring for a re-write of the last four years of progress.”— What a Glimpse of Biden’s Cabinet Tells Us About His Immigration Policy

““The refugee program is also an important tool of American foreign policy and has enhanced our global standing and security,” wrote Blinken in a 2018 New York Times op-ed that ended by warning that “if Mr. Trump effectively shuts down the refugee program, he will be plunging the world — and Americans with it — into greater darkness.””— What a Glimpse of Biden’s Cabinet Tells Us About His Immigration Policy

“Christian communities too were taken by surprise. In many cases they have acted admirably in addressing hardship and suffering. Yet they still lack a concrete, non-abstract, non-partisan, sufficiently shared vision—one capable of inspiring evaluations and initiatives that take into account the full implications of the events and all aspects of the issue.”— Cardinal Giacomo Biffi: On Immigration

“"This past weekend a convicted felon with bone spurs illegally attacked Iran, launching a protracted war of regime change," Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Mich., said during his opening remarks, arguing Republicans were diverting attention from congressional war powers.”— Dem known for Trump impeachment disrupts GOP hearing on illegal immigrant truck licenses

“The Detroiter added that he wanted to go on record about his objections to holding the hearing, saying it is really about "scapegoating immigrants" to deflect from issues with Trump’s handling of the economy, "which is running off the road."”— Dem known for Trump impeachment disrupts GOP hearing on illegal immigrant truck licenses

“"While DOT is the primary federal regulator of CDLs, DHS plays a critical role in granting work authorizations and immigration benefits through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services," Brecheen said.”— Dem known for Trump impeachment disrupts GOP hearing on illegal immigrant truck licenses

“St. Lucie County Sheriff Richard del Toro was one of the witnesses, and he investigated a high-profile case in which an illegal immigrant from India with a California CDL allegedly killed a family on Florida’s Turnpike after failing to properly complete an illegal U-turn on the tollway.”— Dem known for Trump impeachment disrupts GOP hearing on illegal immigrant truck licenses

“"In the past nine months, zero illegal aliens have been admitted to the United States," Trump said Feb 24. "But we will always allow people to come in legally, people that will love our country and will work hard to maintain our country."”— Trump said he's pro legal immigration, his policies say otherwise

“"The courts can only do so much when the Biden administration has opened the spigot at the border," said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, at a Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing in October. "Our immigration judges can't do their job, just being flooded with these huge numbers."”— As migration surges, immigration court case backlog swells to over 3 million

“Kathryn Mattingly, press secretary for the office, said reducing the immigration court backlog “is one of the highest priorities” for the agency.”— As migration surges, immigration court case backlog swells to over 3 million

““This practice violates the clear terms of the law, but the Court looks the other way,” he wrote.”— Supreme Court says Biden can end Trump-era ‘Remain in Mexico’ immigration policy | CNN Politics

“Justice Amy Coney Barrett, joined in part by the other three dissenters, wrote a dissenting opinion that said she did not believe that lower courts had the authority to reach the underlying legal questions in the case.”— Supreme Court says Biden can end Trump-era ‘Remain in Mexico’ immigration policy | CNN Politics

““Law enforcement personnel feel overworked and are assigned to duties not germane to their primary mission,” Cuffari said in his written testimony.”— Audit: As border cases go up, staffing stays the same and morale falls

“Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., was more blunt, saying the inspector general might as well have relied on a Twitter survey to get its results.”— Audit: As border cases go up, staffing stays the same and morale falls

“Address by the Archbishop of Bologna to the Migrantes Foundation Seminar — September 30, 2000”— Cardinal Giacomo Biffi: On Immigration

“"We’re not only in a historical moment; we’re in a turning point in immigration," said Muzaffar Chishti, a senior fellow with the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute.”— Can the US handle more immigration? History and the Census suggest the answer is yes.

“Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., was more blunt, saying the inspector general might as well have relied on a Twitter survey to get its results. “This report is a disservice to our law enforcement personnel..."”— Audit: As border cases go up, staffing stays the same and morale falls

“President Biden has violated his oath to faithfully execute immigration laws enacted by Congress.”— Border Statement 1.24.2024

“Quando avancei publicamente pela 1ª vez com a defesa da remigração, em Agosto de 2023, este conceito e as ideias e propostas a ele associadas eram totalmente desconhecidas do público geral e ignoradas ou ridicularizadas pelos setores mais politizados [...] fui ofendido, ameaçado, gozado”— Afonso Gonçalves - Remigração: Como Salvar Portugal

“André Ventura, que numa entrevista ao Observador, a 06 de Maio de 2025, defendeu que "eu acho que a remigração é uma solução nalgumas situações (...) em que a presença de pessoas de outras culturas mete em causa a nossa cultura"”— Afonso Gonçalves - Remigração: Como Salvar Portugal

“Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s reply at the last Question Time... when asked where he would put the “tens of thousands of aggressive males” coming across the Channel... Starmer said it’ll be ok, because there’s lots of social housing in the country. There’s almost none.”— Nigel Farage on the Rise - Chronicles

“These arguments I’ve made for a very, very long time, for which I’ve been abused, had pints of beer chucked at me, and God knows what else.”— Nigel Farage on the Rise - Chronicles

““Zero tolerance was about maybe if we start prosecuting these people, then they’ll stop coming,” Homan said.”— Donald Trump’s New ‘Border Czar’ Defended Child Separation at Festival Held by Gun-Worshipping Sect

“During this time, Homan first floated the idea of separating children from their families as a way of deterring immigrants from crossing the border illegally.”— Donald Trump’s New ‘Border Czar’ Defended Child Separation at Festival Held by Gun-Worshipping Sect

“He then formalized the child separation policy alongside Stephen Miller, who this week was named Trump’s deputy chief of staff.”— Donald Trump’s New ‘Border Czar’ Defended Child Separation at Festival Held by Gun-Worshipping Sect

“"It is not fine, nor is it legal," Murphy said in the ruling, citing a U.S. law that prevents the government from removing someone to a country where their "life or freedom would be threatened" because of their "race, religion, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion."”— Trump's third-country deportations are unlawful, federal judge rules

“Rishi Sunak professed to feel, as he did this week, “a profound sense of urgency, because more will change in the next five years than in the last 30”, and declared “the next few years will be some of the most dangerous yet the most transformational our country has ever known”, he was entirely correct. Where he is mistaken is in his belief that “the United Kingdom is uniquely placed to benefit”.”— The Right's new parties won't save Britain

“This includes left-of-the-left groups such as La Raza (now going by the name UnidosUS), the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus... including the actor John Leguizamo, have signed a letter crying foul.”— The Left Is Bleeding Hispanic Support—and They Know It

“Most of the perpetrators of “violence in Berlin are young, male and have a non-German background. This also applies to knife violence,” says Barbara Slowik, the police commissioner of Berlin.”— Berlin Police Chief: ‘Most’ Violence Committed by Young Migrant Men

““The established parties deny the link between immigration and everyday knife crime, although the facts refute these claims,” the anti-immigration party AfD tweeted”— Berlin Police Chief: ‘Most’ Violence Committed by Young Migrant Men

“In the Hispanic Caucus speech, Biden touted his “policies that process [inadmissible aliens] in a fair and fast way”—which is to say only one way: into the U.S.”— The BorderLine: Boggled by Biden’s Border Crisis? Relax, AOC Is in Charge

“First, she wants more of your federal tax dollars for cities to house, feed, and educate the millions pouring through Biden’s open border. Second, she wants Biden to grant work authorizations to illegal immigrants jumping the line in front of those waiting to come legally. Third, she wants Biden to “extend” Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelans”— The BorderLine: Boggled by Biden’s Border Crisis? Relax, AOC Is in Charge

“This term can be traced to the French writer Renaud Camus.”— New Zealand Terrorist Manifesto Influenced by Far-Right Online Ecosystem, Hatewatch Finds

“Brenton Tarrant, the man accused of murdering 49 worshippers and injuring dozens of others in two New Zealand mosques Friday, posted a manifesto steeped in white supremacist propaganda and references to “white genocide,””— New Zealand Terrorist Manifesto Influenced by Far-Right Online Ecosystem, Hatewatch Finds

“Lauren Southern, a Canadian far-right conspiracist who commands a large audience on YouTube, posted a video called “The Great Replacement” in July 2017, which was viewed over half-a-million times on Facebook and shared more than 7,000 times.”— New Zealand Terrorist Manifesto Influenced by Far-Right Online Ecosystem, Hatewatch Finds

“David Duke posted a version of the same meme used on the cover of the alleged killer’s manifesto from his Twitter account @DrDavidDuke on February 9.”— New Zealand Terrorist Manifesto Influenced by Far-Right Online Ecosystem, Hatewatch Finds

“Trump said Wednesday night on the Fox News Channel's 'Hannity' program that while he still opposes 'amnesty' for border-jumpers and would deny them a path to citizenship, he's inclined to let the bulk of them stay in the U.S. and 'work with them.'”— Trump drifts toward 'amnesty' for illegal immigrants but would tax 'em

“"This bill we sign today is not a revolutionary bill. It does not affect the lives of millions. It will not restructure the shape of our daily lives."”— The Legacy of the 1965 Immigration Act

“"With the end of discrimination due to place of birth, there will be shifts in countries other than those of northern and western Europe. Immigrants from Asia and Africa will have to compete and qualify in order to get in, quantitatively and qualitatively, which, itself will hold the numbers down. There will not be, comparatively, many Asians or Africans entering this country. .. .Since the people of Africa and Asia have very few relatives here, comparatively few could immigrate from those countries because they have no family ties in the U.S."”— The Legacy of the 1965 Immigration Act

“"I would say for the Asia-Pacific Triangle it [immigration] would be approximately 5,000, Mr. Chairman, after which immigration from that source would virtually disappear; 5,000 immigrants would come the first year, but we do not expect that there would be any great influx after that."”— The Legacy of the 1965 Immigration Act

“At a rally this week in Madison Square Garden, Donald Trump asked for what he calls his “favorite chart” to be beamed onto the giant screens.”— Essay | How the Democrats Bungled the Politics of Immigration

“"In 2021 the administration rolled back a series of Trump-era border protections, which critics say encouraged the historic migrant numbers that followed."”— Biden order to block most illegal immigrants when crossings surge, as election nears

“"By my count, he's issued 94 executive orders since he's been president for the United States. But he's waited until today to actually do what he calls effective action on the border," Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said at a press conference.”— Biden order to block most illegal immigrants when crossings surge, as election nears

“In May 2025, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer referred to the risk of our country becoming an 'island of strangers'.”— What is the problem?

“His courage comes too late. He now admits that he preferred to let a dangerous situation fester rather than risk telling the truth and therefore – it is he who says it – getting Marine Le Pen elected.”— The more time passes, the less reversible the situation will be, says prominent author Laurent Obertone on risk of civil war in France

“In this interview, he describes President Macron as being very much in favor of welcoming so-called “migrants,” i.e., illegal immigrants.”— The more time passes, the less reversible the situation will be, says prominent author Laurent Obertone on risk of civil war in France

“You are the author of several bestsellers in France, including the famous “La France Orange mécanique,” published in 2013, which documents insecurity in France based on local press publications that are rarely picked up at the national level.”— The more time passes, the less reversible the situation will be, says prominent author Laurent Obertone on risk of civil war in France

“I have articulated quite clearly and quite strongly our disagreement with that program. I think what resulted from the prior administration's execution of that program underscores the reasons why I so significantly and ardently oppose it. We received, for example, a report of more than 1,500 incidents of murder, rape, torture, and other crimes committed against the individuals who were subject to the Remain in Mexico Program.”— DHS Secretary Mayorkas Faces Questions on Border Policy (4-27-22 Transcript)

“Currently, Shabana Mahmood is attempting to save Labour from electoral extinction by adopting aspects of the Danish model, but is being met with vociferous opposition from within her own party.”— The pathologies of outdated ideologies

Organizations Involved

The Biden Administration rebuffed multiple recommendations from its own transition advisers on border deterrence and proceeded with the reversal of Trump-era restrictions in 2021. Officials maintained that the changes reflected a more humane approach without expecting drastic increases in crossings. Internal warnings delivered in person and via Zoom were set aside. The result was a surge that strained resources nationwide. ^[1][5]

The New York Times published retrospectives that catalogued Biden administration missteps at the border while implying that Trump policies had succeeded in keeping crossings lower. These accounts reinforced the idea that policy choices drove migration numbers. The coverage shifted tone after encounters reached record levels. It contributed to growing public skepticism. ^[5]

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection enforced Title 42 from March 2020 to May 2023, expelling nearly three million migrants in roughly fifteen minutes each with no standard legal consequences. The policy produced high recidivism rates because it blocked asylum claims and returned people to Mexico for immediate reattempts. Usage fell to only 41 percent of encounters due to exceptions for families, children, and nationalities Mexico would not accept. The agency later reported a seventy percent drop in successful evasions after the policy ended. ^[6][7]

The Department of Homeland Security maintained combined Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement staffing at roughly twenty-seven thousand personnel for three years even as southwest border encounters rose from 458,000 in fiscal 2020 to 2.4 million in fiscal 2022. The department relied on overtime, temporary details from other sectors, and reassignment of agents to welfare duties. An internal audit later documented widespread fatigue and low morale. Officials disputed the survey’s validity and emphasized hiring and morale initiatives. ^[23][24][28]

▶ Supporting Quotes (45)

“a New York Times examination of Mr. Biden’s record found that he and his closest advisers repeatedly rebuffed recommendations that could have addressed the border crisis faster”— Is the NYT Becoming Realist on Immigration?

“the American establishment’s standpoint on immigration policy had drifted not exactly into Open Bordersism, but into anti-anti-Open Borderism: any American who wanted to do anything to violate the sacred right of any of the other 8 billion Earthlings from moving to the United States is probably a vicious racist”— Is the NYT Becoming Realist on Immigration?

“Several recent retrospectives in the New York Times are the latest in a line of pieces cataloguing the Biden administration’s costly mistakes at the border.”— Fact Checking the “Success” of Trump Border Patrol Policies

“data obtained by the Cato Institute through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) challenges this narrative.”— Biden Didn’t Cause the Border Crisis, Part 1: Summary

“his positions threatened to drastically increase border crossings, experts advising his transition team warned”— How Biden Ignored Warnings and Lost Americans’ Faith in Immigration

“It took CBP officials on average 15 minutes to process an encountered migrant under Title 42.”— Title 42 Postmortem: U.S. Pandemic-Era Expulsions Policy Did Not Shut Down the Border

“In March 2020, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an order under Title 42 of the U.S. Code allowing for the quick expulsion of migrants because of “a serious danger of the introduction of COVID-19.””— Title 42 Postmortem: U.S. Pandemic-Era Expulsions Policy Did Not Shut Down the Border

“The bureaucratic charge was led in 1976 by the Commissioner of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, Leonard F. Chapman”— Why Border Enforcement Backfired

“we argue theoretically that border enforcement emerged as a policy response to a moral panic about the perceived threat of Latino immigration to the United States propounded by self-interested bureaucrats, politicians, and pundits who sought to mobilize political and material resources for their own benefit.”— Why Border Enforcement Backfired

“Navigating between activists’ demands for a total rejection of Trump’s policies and the complex reality at the border”— Biden plans to spurn Trump immigration restrictions, but risk of new border crisis looms

“Mayorkas is a minority, loyal, experienced and a known commodity to the activists clamoring for a re-write of the last four years of progress.”— What a Glimpse of Biden’s Cabinet Tells Us About His Immigration Policy

“We have had two lengthy ecclesial documents on the subject: the 1990 note of the Ecclesial Commission “Justice and Peace,” titled, People of Different Cultures: From Conflict to Solidarity; and the 1993 Pastoral Guidelines of the Episcopal Commission for Migration, titled, I Was a Stranger and You Welcomed Me. Both documents—very extensive and analytical—are above all (and rightly) aimed at building and spreading a “culture of welcome” in Christianity.”— Cardinal Giacomo Biffi: On Immigration

“The hearing — hosted by the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations and Accountability — focused on whether illegal immigrants are obtaining non-domicile CDLs and whether the Department of Homeland Security has properly coordinated with transportation authorities and ICE to enforce immigration laws tied to commercial trucking.”— Dem known for Trump impeachment disrupts GOP hearing on illegal immigrant truck licenses

“"ICE partnered with state highway patrol agencies in several states to conduct joint enforcement operations targeting illegal aliens operating commercial motor vehicles, resulting in significant arrests and taking unsafe drivers off the road."”— Dem known for Trump impeachment disrupts GOP hearing on illegal immigrant truck licenses

“The Department of Homeland Security has also tried to end several countries' Temporary Protected Status, which allows people from certain countries experiencing war, environmental disasters and epidemics to temporarily live and work in the U.S.”— Trump said he's pro legal immigration, his policies say otherwise

“reducing the immigration court backlog “is one of the highest priorities” for the agency. In addition to expanding the number of judges on the bench, the agency is developing new initiatives to reduce the backlog”— As migration surges, immigration court case backlog swells to over 3 million

“according to Syracuse University's Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, or TRAC, which compiles and analyzes federal immigration data... In a study of roughly two decades of data through 2021, TRAC found that immigration judges granted asylum or other immigration relief in 50% of completed cases”— As migration surges, immigration court case backlog swells to over 3 million

“Biden’s bid to terminate the program had been challenged in court by a coalition of red states led by Texas that argued that ending it ran afoul of immigration law.”— Supreme Court says Biden can end Trump-era ‘Remain in Mexico’ immigration policy | CNN Politics

“The May report said that staffing has remained around 27,000 combined for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and for Customs and Border Protection for the last three years. During the same period, border apprehensions jumped from 458,088 in fiscal 2020 to just under 2.4 million in fiscal 2022.”— Audit: As border cases go up, staffing stays the same and morale falls

““DHS believes these results are generally misleading and not necessarily representative of the workforce issues that frontline law enforcement personnel may be experiencing,” the agency said in its response.”— Audit: As border cases go up, staffing stays the same and morale falls

“NOTE: Cardinal Biffi (1928-2015), was a learned theologian and respected Catholic author who served as archbishop of Bologna in Northern Italy between 1984 and 2003. The Migrantes Foundation is the official department for immigrants and refugees of the Italian Bishops’ Conference.”— Cardinal Giacomo Biffi: On Immigration

“The State, which still gives the impression of being disoriented, has been caught by surprise. It seems not yet to have regained the capacity to govern the situation rationally”— Cardinal Giacomo Biffi: On Immigration

“The Act was endorsed by the Ku Klux Klan.”— Can the US handle more immigration? History and the Census suggest the answer is yes.

“More than 1.4 million migrants had already been encountered in the first seven months of fiscal 2023, according to CBP data.”— Audit: As border cases go up, staffing stays the same and morale falls

“The Executive Branch of the United States has a constitutional duty to enforce federal laws protecting States, including immigration laws on the books right now.”— Border Statement 1.24.2024

“devido ao trabalho realizado pelo movimento nacionalista em geral e por alguns patriotas irredentos em particular, milhões de Portuguezes conhecem ou já ouviram falar no termo e nas ideias subjacentes.”— Afonso Gonçalves - Remigração: Como Salvar Portugal

“got steadily worse under the Tories, peaking in the year to June 2023 at a staggering 906,000. This so-called “Boris Wave” was the result partly of Johnson relaxing the rules for student and work visas”— Nigel Farage on the Rise - Chronicles

“Homan, who was officially appointed as “border czar” by Trump this week, was one of the main architects of the “zero tolerance” policy during Trump’s first term, forcibly separating more than 5,000 children from their parents between 2017 and 2018.”— Donald Trump’s New ‘Border Czar’ Defended Child Separation at Festival Held by Gun-Worshipping Sect

“In 2022, Homan joined the Heritage Foundation as a visiting fellow, where he would go on to contribute a section that outlined the mass arrests and deportations of immigrants to Project 2025”— Donald Trump’s New ‘Border Czar’ Defended Child Separation at Festival Held by Gun-Worshipping Sect

“The department must not remove migrants to so-called "third countries," U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy said in his ruling on Wednesday, Feb. 25. The practice, Murphy said, amounts to dropping people off in "parts unknown" and, "as long as the Department doesn’t already know that there’s someone standing there waiting to shoot ... that’s fine."”— Trump's third-country deportations are unlawful, federal judge rules

“the destruction of the Conservative Party, at whose door half the blame for our current state of crisis can be laid.”— The Right's new parties won't save Britain

“La Raza, founded with seed money from the Ford Foundation in the late 1960s (as was MALDEF) to promote identity politics and the concept of an official Hispanic category... More than 70 Democratic Party-affiliated groups... have signed a letter crying foul.”— The Left Is Bleeding Hispanic Support—and They Know It

“La Raza (now going by the name UnidosUS), the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund... have signed a letter crying foul.”— The Left Is Bleeding Hispanic Support—and They Know It

“The Congressional Hispanic Caucus is taking things to a different level... it is planning to send Univision its own letter. It will also demand that executives meet with members of the caucus... this request would amount to a party demand for partisan coverage.”— The Left Is Bleeding Hispanic Support—and They Know It

“Biden’s DHS announced not only an 18-month extension of Temporary Protected Status for the 180,000 Venezuelans already in the program, but a legally dubious expansion of the status to include nearly half a million more who have arrived since”— The BorderLine: Boggled by Biden’s Border Crisis? Relax, AOC Is in Charge

“The killer used an image that circulated heavily on the say-anything forum 8chan for the cover of his manifesto”— New Zealand Terrorist Manifesto Influenced by Far-Right Online Ecosystem, Hatewatch Finds

“The new legislation (P.L. 89 236; 79 Stat. 911; technically, amendments to the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952) substituted a system based primarily on family reunification and needed skills.”— The Legacy of the 1965 Immigration Act

“"Today I'm moving past Republican obstruction and using executive authorities available to me as president to do what I can on my own to address the border," President Biden said in a speech on Tuesday afternoon, accusing Republicans of refusing to secure the border."”— Biden order to block most illegal immigrants when crossings surge, as election nears

“The Office for National Statistics projection in January 2025 was that the UK population would grow by 6.6 million by 2036, with over six million (90%) of the growth due to migration (migrants and the children of migrants).”— What is the problem?

“Violence against persons has continued to rise sharply, reaching a record of 900 assaults per day, including 120 assaults involving bladed weapons. This is according to the Interior Ministry’s figures.”— The more time passes, the less reversible the situation will be, says prominent author Laurent Obertone on risk of civil war in France

“We are working with Mexico to administer that program in good faith, as we are required to do under the court's order, and to do so in a way that reflects and adheres to our values as a nation.”— DHS Secretary Mayorkas Faces Questions on Border Policy (4-27-22 Transcript)

“the serial incompetence of mainstream economists in analysing immigration... For part of their incompetence is utterly failing to produce useful models of the capacities of economies and societies to absorb immigrants.”— Net Zero + Mass Immigration => National Populism

“Shabana Mahmood is attempting to save Labour from electoral extinction by adopting aspects of the Danish model, but is being met with vociferous opposition from within her own party.”— The pathologies of outdated ideologies

The Foundation

The assumption held that reversing Trump-era immigration restrictions would produce only a modest increase in border crossings without triggering a political crisis. Supporters cited the contrast with family separations as evidence that a humane approach would not destabilize the border. They believed existing enforcement infrastructure could absorb any uptick. The view gained traction among Democratic operatives who saw stricter measures as politically toxic. ^[1][5]

Growing evidence suggests the belief rested on the idea that border policy itself drove migration flows, a notion that seemed credible when crossings dropped after Title 42 began but proved misleading once encounters rose again in May 2020. Data showed other factors such as U.S. labor demand, violence abroad, and global internet access played larger roles. The Todaro-Maruszko model predicted that raising enforcement costs would deter migrants, yet empirical studies found little connection between policy changes and overall flows. ^[2][8]

The assumption also generated the sub-belief that Biden had reduced enforcement, despite data showing increases in arrests, detentions, removals, and expulsions from his first days in office. Releases of families and children were interpreted as proof of laxity when logistical limits and distant nationalities made removal difficult. Title 42 itself perversely boosted repeat crossings by blocking asylum and creating quick retry opportunities. ^[4][6]

Church documents such as ‘People of Different Cultures: From Conflict to Solidarity’ in 1990 and ‘I Was a Stranger and You Welcomed Me’ in 1993 promoted a culture of welcome as sufficient, seeming credible from evangelical principles yet increasingly questioned for overlooking integration challenges and varying cultural compatibility. Italian bishops’ commissions emphasized charity without addressing demographic pressures from low birth rates or the need for regulated access. ^[18]

▶ Supporting Quotes (46)

“believing that stronger enforcement would alienate Latino and progressive voters... most Hispanic ethnic activists that Biden insiders know are racist anti-whites. Klain, Dunn, and the Donilons don’t interact with ordinary Latino voters”— Is the NYT Becoming Realist on Immigration?

“Democratic elites have come to assume that all people on earth have a civil right, as embedded in the Zeroth Amendment engraved on the Statue of Liberty by Founding Father Emma Lazarus, to move to the United States if they really want to.”— Is the NYT Becoming Realist on Immigration?

“the Biden-era spike in border crossings started before Biden took office and ended before he left office”— Fact Checking the “Success” of Trump Border Patrol Policies

“Americans like to assume that our border policy drives migration, and not the other way around.”— Fact Checking the “Success” of Trump Border Patrol Policies

“Many believe Biden caused this increase in migration by reducing border enforcement. However, data obtained by the Cato Institute through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) challenges this narrative.”— Biden Didn’t Cause the Border Crisis, Part 1: Summary

“Expulsions did not deter migrants, even among demographics universally expelled. The percentage increase in evasions of Border Patrol increased as much as Border Patrol arrests, implying that releases did not cause the crisis”— Biden Didn’t Cause the Border Crisis, Part 1: Summary

“Mr. Biden had pledged to treat unauthorized immigrants more humanely than President Donald J. Trump, who generated widespread backlash by separating migrant children from their parents.”— How Biden Ignored Warnings and Lost Americans’ Faith in Immigration

“Arrivals at the southwest border slowed in the early days of Title 42’s use, likely due to it acting as an early deterrent as well as general pandemic-related travel restrictions worldwide. However migrant encounters began increasing in May 2020, less than two months after the order’s imposition, and have remained high ever since.”— Title 42 Postmortem: U.S. Pandemic-Era Expulsions Policy Did Not Shut Down the Border

“The logic of using enhanced border enforcement as a strategy for immigration control was laid out by Todaro and Maruszko (1987), who drew upon neoclassical economics to conceptualize migration as a cost-benefit decision... In theory, then, enhanced border enforcement works by raising the costs of migration enough to offset an expected earnings gain”— Why Border Enforcement Backfired

“Chavez (2001, 2008) has documented the steady rise of what he calls the “Latino Threat Narrative” in the U.S. media from the 1970s through the 1990s... illegal migrants, Mexicans, and Latinos general have now come to occupy the low-warmth/low-competence quadrant of disgust in American social cognition”— Why Border Enforcement Backfired

“The horrible situation we see today when it comes to immigration in America was created by Donald Trump by executive order”— Biden plans to spurn Trump immigration restrictions, but risk of new border crisis looms

“The general exaltation of solidarity and of the primacy of evangelical charity—which in themselves and in principle are legitimate and even necessary—show themselves to be more generous than useful when they fail to reckon with the complexity of the problem and the harshness of reality.”— Cardinal Giacomo Biffi: On Immigration

“Italy requires labor it no longer sufficiently finds among its own population. In this regard, we ought finally to recognize the folly of the line pursued over the last forty years—with obsessive anti-demographic cultural terrorism and the absence of corrective legislative and political measures that would remedy the egotistical and foolish low birth rate.”— Cardinal Giacomo Biffi: On Immigration

“Officials from Oklahoma and Florida were invited to testify about illegal immigrants holding non-domicile CDL licenses, which they said has caused deadly crashes on the nation’s highways.”— Dem known for Trump impeachment disrupts GOP hearing on illegal immigrant truck licenses

“"Per Rule X, the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has jurisdiction over transportation regulatory agencies, and roads and safety thereof," Thanedar said.”— Dem known for Trump impeachment disrupts GOP hearing on illegal immigrant truck licenses

“Trump's words about allowing legal immigration don't line up with his actions.”— Trump said he's pro legal immigration, his policies say otherwise

“even with hundreds more judges on the bench, the courts haven't been able to keep pace with the number of cases being added to the docket, TRAC found. Judges are facing caseloads of more than 4,500 apiece.”— As migration surges, immigration court case backlog swells to over 3 million

“Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts said that the relevant immigration statute “plainly confers a discretionary authority to return aliens to Mexico during the pendency of their immigration proceedings.” “The use of the word ‘may” in” the law question, Roberts wrote, “makes clear that contiguous-territory return is a tool that the (DHS) Secretary ‘has the authority, but not the duty,’ to use.””— Supreme Court says Biden can end Trump-era ‘Remain in Mexico’ immigration policy | CNN Politics

“Despite department efforts to surge workers to the border, they are still required to put in high levels of overtime, and being forced to handle what Cuffari called administrative jobs that they were not trained for and did not sign up for.”— Audit: As border cases go up, staffing stays the same and morale falls

“Nor can we sensibly expect the emergency to end quickly: it is unlikely that everything will be resolved almost autonomously, without deliberate intervention, and that tensions are on the verge of dissipating like a summer storm—which is usually short-lived and of no lasting concern.”— Cardinal Giacomo Biffi: On Immigration

“That historical peak – of just under 15% – was followed by a nativist backlash and sharp restrictions on immigration.”— Can the US handle more immigration? History and the Census suggest the answer is yes.

“President Biden has instructed his agencies to ignore federal statutes that mandate the detention of illegal immigrants. The effect is to illegally allow their en masse parole into the United States.”— Border Statement 1.24.2024

“Crescimento da população imigrante em Portugal (2017-2024) Este aumento foi proporcional à crise alemã de 2015, mas repetida anualmente. A catástrofe assume ainda maiores proporções se considerarmos os 700 mil naturalizados desde 1981 e 100-200 mil ilegais, totalizando 25% dos residentes que não são Portuguezes”— Afonso Gonçalves - Remigração: Como Salvar Portugal

““the default view on the left is we need lots of migrants, I said, playing devil’s advocate, “to do the jobs we won’t do and to pay for our welfare and pensions.” “No, no, no, this is all cobblers!” “Of the last 3 million who came in from outside Europe under a Conservative government, only 20 percent are working.” “ONS (Office of National Statistics) stats.”— Nigel Farage on the Rise - Chronicles

““Now, it's unfortunate when you separate a family. It's always unfortunate. I was a cop in New York. Police officers separate families every day, thousands of times a day, when a parent goes to jail. That's just the sad reality.””— Donald Trump’s New ‘Border Czar’ Defended Child Separation at Festival Held by Gun-Worshipping Sect

“"This new policy − which purports to stand in for the protections Congress has mandated − fails to satisfy due process for a raft of reasons, not least of which is that nobody really knows anything about these purported 'assurances,'" Murphy wrote. "Whom do they cover? What do they cover? Why has the Government deemed them credible? How can anyone even know for certain that they exist?"”— Trump's third-country deportations are unlawful, federal judge rules

“In the Nineties, their heads spun by the unexpected Soviet collapse and the unipolar empire America won by default, the architects of our current order sincerely believed that a golden age of peace and prosperity could be won by the free movement of goods, wealth and people across national borders.”— The Right's new parties won't save Britain

““This trust has been betrayed. It is beyond alarming to learn that Univision’s leadership is giving former President Donald Trump—the most anti-Latino and anti-immigrant president in modern American history—unquestioned access and allowed him to spread falsehoods unchecked,” the letter added.”— The Left Is Bleeding Hispanic Support—and They Know It

“non-Germans, i.e., foreigners, are overrepresented.”— Berlin Police Chief: ‘Most’ Violence Committed by Young Migrant Men

““If you look at the locations where the police have had to deal with knife crimes in Berlin, they are spread over almost the entire urban area. There is no one hotspot,””— Berlin Police Chief: ‘Most’ Violence Committed by Young Migrant Men

“Biden also claimed he’d directed his staff to make “historic increases in the number of refugees admitted from Latin America.” He may believe he did, but the number admitted last year from around the entire world through the formal U.S. Refugee Admissions Program was a paltry 25,000.”— The BorderLine: Boggled by Biden’s Border Crisis? Relax, AOC Is in Charge

““In 2100, despite the ongoing effect of sub-replacement fertility, the population figures show that the population does not decrease in line with the sub-replacement fertility levels, but actually maintains and, even in many White nations, rapidly increases,” the alleged killer wrote in his manifesto. “All through immigration. This is ethnic replacement. This is cultural replacement. This is racial replacement. This is WHITE GENOCIDE.””— New Zealand Terrorist Manifesto Influenced by Far-Right Online Ecosystem, Hatewatch Finds

“The alleged killer also espoused a belief in “accelerationism,” the idea that violence should be used to push Western countries into becoming failed states.”— New Zealand Terrorist Manifesto Influenced by Far-Right Online Ecosystem, Hatewatch Finds

“'But when I go through and I meet thousands and thousands of people on this subject, and I've had very strong people come up to me, really great, great people come up to me, and they've said, "Mr. Trump, I love you, but to take a person who's been here for 15 or 20 years and throw them and their family out, it's so tough, Mr. Trump".'”— Trump drifts toward 'amnesty' for illegal immigrants but would tax 'em

“Under the old system, admission largely depended upon an immigrant's country of birth. Seventy percent of all immigrant slots were allotted to natives of just three countries — United Kingdom, Ireland and Germany — and went mostly unused, while there were long waiting lists for the small number of visas available to those born in Italy, Greece, Poland, Portugal, and elsewhere in eastern and southern Europe.”— The Legacy of the 1965 Immigration Act

“With bold type and bright colors, it shows the dramatic rise in illegal border crossings into the U.S. over the past four years.”— Essay | How the Democrats Bungled the Politics of Immigration

“The chart fails to note that the increase in illegal border crossings began in the last months of Trump’s presidency, but the trend is unmistakable”— Essay | How the Democrats Bungled the Politics of Immigration

“The administration says it is dealing with a hemisphere-wide challenge that needs congressional action to provide funding and fix what it says is a "broken immigration system."”— Biden order to block most illegal immigrants when crossings surge, as election nears

“An extensive body of research has consistently found that immigration is a huge cost to the UK Treasury - £13bn in 2014. Non-EU immigration, which is presently the fastest rising tranche of immigration, has the biggest fiscal costs.”— What is the problem?

“Our elites, still colonial in mentality, are convinced that human beings from all over the world are interchangeable, that all you have to do is give anyone a good school, welfare benefits, and a city park to make them good French citizens, even better than our dusty natives.”— The more time passes, the less reversible the situation will be, says prominent author Laurent Obertone on risk of civil war in France

“We received, for example, a report of more than 1,500 incidents of murder, rape, torture, and other crimes committed against the individuals who were subject to the Remain in Mexico Program.”— DHS Secretary Mayorkas Faces Questions on Border Policy (4-27-22 Transcript)

“Mass prosperity rests on cheap energy: that is much more important than, for instance, free trade. The Industrial Revolution is really the Mass Access To Cheap Energy Revolution. ... by 1850 the average English person has at his or her disposal more than ten times the amount of moveable, deployable fuel energy per person used by the rest of the world’s population.”— Net Zero + Mass Immigration => National Populism

“All the experienced costs of mass immigration—higher rents and house prices; increased congestion; downward pressure on wages and increased fiscal stress (if importing significant numbers of low-capital/skill immigrants); downward pressure on social trust and corrosive effects on the norms and rules that underpin institutions (if importing lots of people from very different cultures); increased crime (if importing significant numbers of people from higher crime cultures)—are then magnified.”— Net Zero + Mass Immigration => National Populism

“The fact that this infrastructure was created for an entirely different world, where there was much less international migration, and where “asylum seeker” meant a political dissident from the Eastern Bloc, does not matter.”— The pathologies of outdated ideologies

How It Spread

The assumption spread through Biden’s campaign memo that used the word ‘chaos’ to describe risks yet saw the administration ignore transition team warnings delivered in late 2020. Democratic activists and the campaign website amplified pledges to end the border wall and expand refugee admissions. Media retrospectives reinforced the narrative that Trump policies had controlled crossings while Biden’s changes caused the surge. ^[5][9]

Politicians on both sides expressed nostalgia for Title 42 as a quick fix even after its expiration in May 2023, when encounters continued at high levels. Media coverage from the 1970s onward had framed Mexican immigration as a crisis or invasion, shaping public opinion alongside rising apprehensions. Self-interested actors used the Latino threat narrative to mobilize support by placing migrants in the outgroup. ^[6][8]

The Great Awokening influenced younger staff and advisers to view restriction advocates as racists, discouraging robust deterrence. Church pastoral guidelines and commissions spread the culture of welcome through Christian communities. Democrats disrupted congressional hearings on related enforcement issues, labeling them scapegoating to refocus attention on Trump. ^[1][18][19]

Biden administration budget requests and agency statements promoted the idea that hiring more immigration judges and introducing efficiencies would resolve court backlogs. Lower courts issued nationwide injunctions that kept the Migrant Protection Protocols alive despite executive termination attempts. The Department of Homeland Security rejected audit findings on staffing and morale while listing its own initiatives. ^[21][22][23]

▶ Supporting Quotes (44)

“Biden’s dull old moderate Democrat advisers were influenced by the zeitgeist, the spirit of the age, as embodied in their younger advisers, to push policies that would seem nuts in either 2011 or 2025.”— Is the NYT Becoming Realist on Immigration?

“It was only in 2001 when the new Republican president got to the left of the NYT on immigration that it switched to being pro-amnesty. And it was only after being financially bailed out by Mexican monopolist Carlos Slim in early 2009 that the NYT became viciously anti-realist on immigration.”— Is the NYT Becoming Realist on Immigration?

“If there’s one thing that Democrats and Republicans agree on, it’s that Trump deserves credit for closing the southern border—and that the Biden administration is to blame for the mass border crossings of 2021–2023.”— Fact Checking the “Success” of Trump Border Patrol Policies

“The prevailing narrative that blames Biden overlooks the real causes of the crisis”— Biden Didn’t Cause the Border Crisis, Part 1: Summary

““Chaos” was the word the advisers had used in a memo during the campaign.”— How Biden Ignored Warnings and Lost Americans’ Faith in Immigration

“One year after the use of Title 42 was ended and amid ongoing record encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border, some politicians are expressing nostalgia for the public-health authority. Even some congressional Democrats have pointed to the discontinuation of Title 42 as one reason for the current border morass.”— Title 42 Postmortem: U.S. Pandemic-Era Expulsions Policy Did Not Shut Down the Border

“Massey and Pren (2012a) likewise found that newspaper mentions of Mexican immigration as a crisis, flood, or invasion rose in tandem with border apprehensions from 1965 to 1979, pushing public opinion in a more conservative, anti-immigrant direction”— Why Border Enforcement Backfired

“The rise of illegal migration created a golden opportunity for self-interested actors to engage in the systematic framing of illegal migrants as criminals, portraying them as neither warm nor competent”— Why Border Enforcement Backfired

“The Biden campaign’s immigration proposals are loaded with the wish-list items of immigration advocates and Democratic activists.”— Biden plans to spurn Trump immigration restrictions, but risk of new border crisis looms

“In his naming his choices to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the State Department, Biden has established a tone that is distinctly anti-Trump and pro-mass immigration.”— What a Glimpse of Biden’s Cabinet Tells Us About His Immigration Policy

“Conventional centre-right politicians have, again and again, taken their cue from economists and treated immigration as an economic issue—when it is so much a cultural one. This is why such politicians have, again and again, proved to be incompetent at cultural politics and been pushed aside by national populists.”— Individualism and cooperation: I

“The studies, though, lack a bit of realism regarding the difficulties and problems involved; and, above all, they appear to insufficiently highlight the Church’s mission of evangelizing all peoples, therefore also those arriving to live among us.”— Cardinal Giacomo Biffi: On Immigration

“A Democratic lawmaker who previously drafted impeachment articles against President Donald Trump disrupted a House Homeland Security subcommittee hearing Wednesday, accusing Republicans of using concerns about illegal immigrants holding commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) to distract from what he called Trump’s broader failures.”— Dem known for Trump impeachment disrupts GOP hearing on illegal immigrant truck licenses

“During the State of the Union, President Donald Trump lauded his administration's success in reducing the number of people trying to illegally cross the U.S. southern border as he assured that he is in favor of legal immigration.”— Trump said he's pro legal immigration, his policies say otherwise

“The Biden administration has tried to address the backlog by hiring 302 judges to the nation's immigration courts. The White House is asking in its 2024 budget request for funding to hire 150 more.”— As migration surges, immigration court case backlog swells to over 3 million

“The lower courts, which refused to consider the October memo, will now examine whether that latest attempt to end the program complied with the Administrative Procedure Act.”— Supreme Court says Biden can end Trump-era ‘Remain in Mexico’ immigration policy | CNN Politics

“DHS agreed with the last two recommendations, but rejected the call for an outsider reviewer. It said the audit failed to note all the efforts it has taken to improve staff morale – listing more than five pages of “initiatives DHS has implemented to support its personnel””— Audit: As border cases go up, staffing stays the same and morale falls

“Immigrants didn’t bear responsibility for that social change but they became the scapegoats, said Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, policy director at the nonprofit American Immigration Council.”— Can the US handle more immigration? History and the Census suggest the answer is yes.

““The IG’s report relies on a single inadequate survey and ignores the significant strides DHS has taken to support our workforce,” a DHS spokesperson said in a prepared statement Tuesday.”— Audit: As border cases go up, staffing stays the same and morale falls

“Despite having been put on notice in a series of letters—one of which I delivered to him by hand—President Biden has ignored Texas’s demand that he perform his constitutional duties.”— Border Statement 1.24.2024

“Antes da reportagem "A Grande Invasão", desenvolvida pela Reconquista, de Janeiro a Março de 2024, o termo "remigração" era apenas mencionado na imprensa no contexto de análises técnicas ao identitarismo internacional ou em breves reportagens sobre políticas promovidas por longínquos partidos de direita Europeus.”— Afonso Gonçalves - Remigração: Como Salvar Portugal

“ERA IMPOSSÍVEL DE TRIUNFAR... ATÉ QUE TRIUNFOU! [...] HOJE, A REMIGRAÇÃO É O EIXO FUNDAMENTAL EM QUE SE SEPARAM OS CONTINGENTES GLOBALISTA E NACIONALISTA.”— Afonso Gonçalves - Remigração: Como Salvar Portugal

““Trump comes back, I come back, And I will run the biggest deportation operation this country has ever seen,” Homan told a cheering crowd at the Rod of Iron Freedom Festival”— Donald Trump’s New ‘Border Czar’ Defended Child Separation at Festival Held by Gun-Worshipping Sect

“The Department of Homeland Security told USA TODAY in a statement that the agency "must be allowed to execute its lawful authority and remove illegal aliens to a country willing to accept them." The department cited two previous Supreme Court stays in the case and said they're "confident we will be vindicated again."”— Trump's third-country deportations are unlawful, federal judge rules

“Millions of words were devoted to lauding this new transnational order, as politicians busied themselves with the dismantling of hard-won state capacity, whose sacrifice would bring about the earthly paradise. To stand against this was to stand against progress”— The Right's new parties won't save Britain

“They are not “major Latino advocacy groups,” as The Washington Post put it in its coverage, and whatever they say should not be interpreted as a “growing backlash” against the Trump interview.”— The Left Is Bleeding Hispanic Support—and They Know It

““The established parties deny the link between immigration and everyday knife crime, although the facts refute these claims,””— Berlin Police Chief: ‘Most’ Violence Committed by Young Migrant Men

“In a Sept. 24 “Face the Nation” interview, she praised Biden for the additional protected status for Venezuelans, saying this would allow them to support themselves by working legally.”— The BorderLine: Boggled by Biden’s Border Crisis? Relax, AOC Is in Charge

“The rhetoric used in the manifesto showcases a strong anti-capitalist, anti-global economy bent, which not only is common on Iron March”— New Zealand Terrorist Manifesto Influenced by Far-Right Online Ecosystem, Hatewatch Finds

“The type of racist rhetoric found in the manifesto is promoted heavily by Americans with large platforms like Rep. Steve King of Iowa and Tucker Carlson of Fox News.”— New Zealand Terrorist Manifesto Influenced by Far-Right Online Ecosystem, Hatewatch Finds

“Trump drifts toward 'amnesty' for illegal immigrants as he says he would 'work with' them – but make them pay back taxes in order to stay in the U.S.”— Trump drifts toward 'amnesty' for illegal immigrants but would tax 'em

“Proponents repeatedly denied that the law would lead to a huge and sustained increase in the number of newcomers and become a vehicle for globalizing immigration.”— The Legacy of the 1965 Immigration Act

““Look at that, it rises faster than an Elon Musk rocket ship,” he said to the cheering crowd.”— Essay | How the Democrats Bungled the Politics of Immigration

“"To protect America as a land that welcomes immigrants, we must first secure the border and secure it now," he said.”— Biden order to block most illegal immigrants when crossings surge, as election nears

“Politicians’ repeated promises to reduce and control immigration have been blatantly abandoned and betrayed, harming voter trust and democracy itself.”— What is the problem?

“There is permanent blackmail with the threat of the “far right,” leading in the end to realistic French people remaining silent so as not to be accused of “playing into the hands” of the National Rally.”— The more time passes, the less reversible the situation will be, says prominent author Laurent Obertone on risk of civil war in France

“I think it's very important to understand that our implementation of that program requires a bilateral relationship. We need the collaboration of Mexico in the administration of that program... We are working with Mexico to administer that program in good faith, as we are required to do under the court's order, and to do so in a way that reflects and adheres to our values as a nation.”— DHS Secretary Mayorkas Faces Questions on Border Policy (4-27-22 Transcript)

“Fear and confusion, but not chaos, along the southern border after Title 42 ends”— Fear and confusion, but not chaos, along the southern border after Title 42 ends

“Two draconian policies may have caused relatively small decreases in arrivals. But these decreases were just that: small”— Unleashing Power in New Ways: Immigration in the First Year of Trump 2.0

“elite politics is dominated by performative status games. One is a Good and Very Serious Person by affirming the correct narratives. ... Mainstream journalists, government bureaucrats, advocacy non-profits, academe—these social milieus are all pervaded by such narratives.”— Net Zero + Mass Immigration => National Populism

“conventional centre-right politicians to either adhere to, or pander to, those elite status games. This particularly applies to politicians obsessed by getting mainstream media coverage.”— Net Zero + Mass Immigration => National Populism

“the unwillingness of mainstream political parties to control immigration. Considering that the continued growth of right-wing populism makes the position of the old liberal consensus ever more precarious, you’d think the latter’s defenders would have decided to compromise. Mostly, they have not.”— The pathologies of outdated ideologies

“The system’s advocates seem to live in a world made up of rhetoric, where principles take precedence over reality.”— The pathologies of outdated ideologies

Resulting Policies

Biden pledged in 2020 to treat unauthorized immigrants more humanely than the Trump administration, reversing policies tied to family separations that had begun in spring 2018. The new administration ended construction of the $15 billion border wall and rescinded the Migrant Protection Protocols that had required more than sixty-seven thousand asylum seekers to wait in Mexico. Officials planned to dismantle Trump achievements first, then expand refugee admissions, asylum processing, and foreign worker programs. ^[1][9][10]

Title 42, issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in March 2020, permitted immediate expulsion of nearly three million migrants without asylum hearings until its end in May 2023. The policy departed from decades of immigration law and produced high recidivism because it offered no legal consequences beyond return to Mexico. Exceptions for unaccompanied children, families, and certain nationalities limited its reach to forty-one percent of encounters. ^[6]

From 1986 to 2008, legislation increased Border Patrol officers five-fold, patrol hours four-fold, and funding twenty-fold under the belief that militarization would deter undocumented migration. Post-1965 amendments had imposed Western Hemisphere visa caps that reduced legal Mexican entries to twenty thousand annually, shifting flows underground. The undocumented population nevertheless grew from three million to twelve million. ^[8]

The Biden administration hired three hundred and two immigration judges and requested funding for one hundred and fifty more in the 2024 budget, assuming additional personnel would reduce the backlog. The Department of Homeland Security relied on overtime, officer details from other borders, and reassignment to care duties while keeping southwest staffing fixed at roughly twenty-seven thousand despite quintupled encounters. Earlier administrations had issued memos limiting arrests at sensitive locations such as churches and schools. ^[21][23][26]

▶ Supporting Quotes (39)

“Take President Trump’s notorious family separation policy. After that highly publicized policy took effect in spring 2018, arrivals of families did not plunge.”— Fact Checking the “Success” of Trump Border Patrol Policies

“after the Supreme Court first allowed President Trump to end asylum at the border in September 2019, arrivals at the border remained steady.”— Fact Checking the “Success” of Trump Border Patrol Policies

“Novel and perverse enforcement policies: The Title 42 expulsion policy incentivized repeat crossings by returning people to Mexico, where they could immediately attempt to re-enter the United States.”— Biden Didn’t Cause the Border Crisis, Part 1: Summary

“After Mr. Biden became president, migrant encounters at the southern border quickly doubled, then kept rising.”— How Biden Ignored Warnings and Lost Americans’ Faith in Immigration

“Asylum seekers and other migrants arriving at U.S. borders without prior authorization to enter were expelled nearly 3 million times during the life of the Title 42 pandemic-era order, which was in effect from March 2020 until May 2023.”— Title 42 Postmortem: U.S. Pandemic-Era Expulsions Policy Did Not Shut Down the Border

“In 1965, when Congress passed amendments to the Immigration and Nationality Act that placed the first-ever numerical limits on immigration from the Western Hemisphere, while at the same time cancelling a longstanding guest worker agreement with Mexico... by the late 1970s Mexico was placed under a quota of just 20,000 legal resident visas per year and no temporary work visas at all”— Why Border Enforcement Backfired

“From 1986 to 2008 the undocumented population of the United States grew from three million to 12 million persons, despite a five-fold increase in Border Patrol officers, a four-fold increase in hours spent patrolling the border, and a 20-fold increase in nominal funding.”— Why Border Enforcement Backfired

“Biden has pledged to rescind the Migrant Protection Protocols — also known as the Remain in Mexico program — that have sent more than 67,000 asylum seekers back to Mexico”— Biden plans to spurn Trump immigration restrictions, but risk of new border crisis looms

“immediately end construction of Trump’s $15 billion border wall.”— Biden plans to spurn Trump immigration restrictions, but risk of new border crisis looms

“Former Vice President Joe Biden said if elected, his first priority would be dismantling what President Trump had achieved in the immigration arena. After that he would move on to drastically increase the number of immigrants who enter the U.S. through refugee, asylum and foreign worker programs.”— What a Glimpse of Biden’s Cabinet Tells Us About His Immigration Policy

“The ALP Federal Government has pushed Australia to the wrong side of its immigrant absorption capacity. ... One way to ensure mass immigration becomes more fraught is to combine mass immigration with Net Zero.”— Individualism and cooperation: I

“The State, which still gives the impression of being disoriented, has been caught by surprise. It seems not yet to have regained the capacity to govern the situation rationally, bringing it back within the essential rules and proper framework of orderly civic coexistence. The measures which are being rolled out little by little are heterogeneous, and often contradictory; they reveal the absence of planning.”— Cardinal Giacomo Biffi: On Immigration

“Officials from Oklahoma and Florida were invited to testify about illegal immigrants holding non-domicile CDL licenses”— Dem known for Trump impeachment disrupts GOP hearing on illegal immigrant truck licenses

“He observed the REAL-ID Act itself was signed by former President George W. Bush after 9/11 and that anyone authorized to haul hazardous materials could effectively be driving an 80,000-pound "chemical bomb" if they so chose.”— Dem known for Trump impeachment disrupts GOP hearing on illegal immigrant truck licenses

“Trump has terminated programs that let people legally live in the U.S., limited legal ways to get here, barred people from certain countries from entering the U.S. and paused processing of certain applications for visas and immigration statuses for legal permanent residency.”— Trump said he's pro legal immigration, his policies say otherwise

“A federal judge in Texas blocked that move in August. The Supreme Court days later refused to put that ruling on hold while the appeal played out, effectively requiring Biden to revive “Remain in Mexico.””— Supreme Court says Biden can end Trump-era ‘Remain in Mexico’ immigration policy | CNN Politics

“He said CBP and ICE’s reliance on overtime, and their policy of temporarily moving officers from coastal and northern border posts, are unsustainable solutions.”— Audit: As border cases go up, staffing stays the same and morale falls

“The measures which are being rolled out little by little are heterogeneous, and often contradictory; they reveal the absence of planning”— Cardinal Giacomo Biffi: On Immigration

“we ought finally to recognize the folly of the line pursued over the last forty years—with obsessive anti-demographic cultural terrorism and the absence of corrective legislative and political measures that would remedy the egotistical and foolish low birth rate”— Cardinal Giacomo Biffi: On Immigration

“the limits contained in the 1921 "Emergency Quota Act" were generalized – based on race and nationality – and were made "stricter and permanent" in the Immigration Act of 1924... These country-by-country limits were specifically designed to keep out 'undesirable' ethnic groups and maintain America’s character as nation of northern and western European stock.”— Can the US handle more immigration? History and the Census suggest the answer is yes.

“Instead of prosecuting immigrants for the federal crime of illegal entry, President Biden has sent his lawyers into federal courts to sue Texas for taking action to secure the border.”— Border Statement 1.24.2024

“inverter os fluxos migratórios de substituição (a favor dos quais ninguém votou, já agora)”— Afonso Gonçalves - Remigração: Como Salvar Portugal

“The policy allows migrants to be deported to such countries if immigration authorities either have credible diplomatic assurances that they will not be persecuted or tortured if sent there, or have given the migrants as little as six hours of notice that they are being sent to such a place.”— Trump's third-country deportations are unlawful, federal judge rules

““the era when Europe bought its energy and fertilisers from Russia, had its goods manufactured in China, and delegated its security to the United States of America, is over””— The Right's new parties won't save Britain

““We demand Univision conduct a thorough internal review, take corrective measures, and reaffirm its commitment to unbiased reporting and to keeping the Latino community informed and up-to-date with facts and truth,” the letter said.”— The Left Is Bleeding Hispanic Support—and They Know It

“Barbara Slowik said no tangible steps to introduce such a ban are currently planned.”— Berlin Police Chief: ‘Most’ Violence Committed by Young Migrant Men

“Temporary Protected Status is one of the bogus methods used by Biden (and others before him, though nothing like this scale) to allow otherwise illegal aliens to remain in the U.S. and work here, grossly abusing immigration law.”— The BorderLine: Boggled by Biden’s Border Crisis? Relax, AOC Is in Charge

“Allocated 170,000 visas to countries in the Eastern Hemisphere and 120,000 to countries in the Western Hemisphere. This increased the annual ceiling on immigrants from 150,000 to 290,000. Each Eastern-Hemisphere country was allowed an allotment of 20,000 visas... Family reunification became the cornerstone of U.S. immigration policy.”— The Legacy of the 1965 Immigration Act

“It also does not apply to those seeking entry to the U.S. via ports of entry using the CBP One app -- of which around 1,500 migrants are allowed in each day.”— Biden order to block most illegal immigrants when crossings surge, as election nears

“The Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government that formed in 2010 pledged to reduce net migration to the ‘tens of thousands’ (a promise that was repeated in 2015 and 2017).”— What is the problem?

“In 2021, there were 121,554 applications for asylum filed, as well as 279,925 residence permits and 733,070 visas issued. That is well over a dozen Ocean Vikings per day. And all this in a perfectly legal way, without counting the irregular immigrants who are very rarely deported.”— The more time passes, the less reversible the situation will be, says prominent author Laurent Obertone on risk of civil war in France

“The Migrant Protection Program was used extensively by the last administration, but on average, only a handful of migrants are enrolled each day currently in any given border patrol sector.”— DHS Secretary Mayorkas Faces Questions on Border Policy (4-27-22 Transcript)

“ending the CBP One app, halt of all access to asylum by declaring a migrant 'invasion,' and ending the humanitarian parole program”— Unleashing Power in New Ways: Immigration in the First Year of Trump 2.0

“Australia is the latest developed democracy to experience conventional centre-right politics being threatened by a national populist surge. ... the Albanese Government sharply cutting back its immigrant quotas. (As Australia enforces its borders, the official immigration quotas actually matter.)”— Net Zero + Mass Immigration => National Populism

“If mainstream political parties had managed to shut down the fraudulent asylum system, enabled deportation of foreign criminals, and heavily restricted flows from countries where immigrants are particularly likely to be net drains on the state or to cause social problems, this would have taken a lot of the wind out of the sails of right-wing populist parties.”— The pathologies of outdated ideologies

Harm Caused

Migrant encounters doubled and then kept rising after the 2021 policy changes, overwhelming border stations, small towns, and major cities including New York and Denver. The surge strained local resources and contributed to public anger that helped return Trump to the presidency. Releases of families and children became routine because logistics could not match the volume. ^[1][5]

Title 42 boosted recidivism from seven percent in fiscal 2019 to twenty-seven percent in fiscal 2021 while gotaways reached seventy-three thousand five hundred in April 2023. Families sometimes split to exploit exceptions for children. The policy blocked asylum claims and shifted the policy window toward later expulsion triggers. ^[6]

Enforcement measures from the 1980s onward reduced circular migration, raised death risks along the border, and redirected flows through more dangerous Arizona sectors while spreading settlement from three states to fifty. The undocumented population grew steadily despite increased resources. Undocumented migrants moved from temporary male workers to settled families. ^[8]

The immigration court backlog swelled past three million cases by November 2023, with individual judges carrying more than four thousand five hundred cases and hearing dates years in the future. A Department of Homeland Security audit of nine thousand three hundred and eleven employees found one in four planned to quit within a year because of fatigue, low morale, and lack of work-life balance. Ninety percent reported their locations were unprepared for surges. ^[21][23][24]

Unregulated immigration produced social disruptions, spread of poverty and desperation, violent intolerance, xenophobia, and a criminal smuggling industry according to critics. A specific case involved an illegal immigrant with a California commercial driver’s license who caused a fatal crash on the Florida Turnpike that killed a family. Another incident featured an illegal immigrant arrested in Oklahoma with a New York license and REAL ID endorsement while hauling potential hazmat. ^[18][19]

▶ Supporting Quotes (48)

“migrant encounters at the southern border quickly doubled, then kept rising. New arrivals overwhelmed border stations, then border towns, and eventually major cities like New York and Denver. Anger over illegal migration helped return Mr. Trump to the presidency”— Is the NYT Becoming Realist on Immigration?

“cruel immigration policies don’t guarantee low border crossings.”— Fact Checking the “Success” of Trump Border Patrol Policies

“During President Joe Biden’s term, Border Patrol arrested an unprecedented number of immigrants who crossed illegally into the United States.”— Biden Didn’t Cause the Border Crisis, Part 1: Summary

“Title 42 also cut off access to asylum, incentivizing more Border Patrol evasions. Novel and perverse legal migration policies: Title 42 not only banned asylum for people who crossed illegally but also prohibited legal entries by asylum seekers”— Biden Didn’t Cause the Border Crisis, Part 1: Summary

“New arrivals overwhelmed border stations, then border towns, and eventually major cities like New York and Denver. Anger over illegal migration helped return Mr. Trump to the presidency”— How Biden Ignored Warnings and Lost Americans’ Faith in Immigration

“Recidivism, which is CBP’s term for the re-encounter within a year of a previously encountered migrant, surged under Title 42, rising from 7 percent of all encounters made by the Border Patrol in fiscal year (FY) 2019 to 27 percent in FY 2021.”— Title 42 Postmortem: U.S. Pandemic-Era Expulsions Policy Did Not Shut Down the Border

“Blocking access to asylum was a departure from decades of law... This precedent, set in motion by the Trump administration, likely informed President Joe Biden’s recent support for a now-abandoned bipartisan Senate bill that would have resumed expulsions once an average of 5,000 encounters occurred in a day.”— Title 42 Postmortem: U.S. Pandemic-Era Expulsions Policy Did Not Shut Down the Border

“From 1986 to 2008 the undocumented population of the United States grew from three million to 12 million persons... turning what had been a circular flow of male workers going to three states into a settled population of families living in 50 states.”— Why Border Enforcement Backfired

“research also suggests that it reduced the rate of return migration and redirected migrant flows to new sectors along the border with Arizona and then toward new destinations throughout the United States”— Why Border Enforcement Backfired

“U.S. authorities took nearly 1 million migrants into custody along the border in 2019, leaving detention cells packed and agents overwhelmed during the worst border crisis in more than a decade.”— Biden plans to spurn Trump immigration restrictions, but risk of new border crisis looms

“At the U.S.-Mexico border, tens of thousands of migrants with pending asylum claims are waiting to enter the United States, some in squalid tent cities that resemble refugee camps. U.S. border agents have been making arrests at a soaring rate — more than 2,000 per day in recent weeks”— Biden plans to spurn Trump immigration restrictions, but risk of new border crisis looms

“If infrastructure construction lags... there will be congestion costs from mass immigration which people will notice every working day. Competition for positional goods... will increase. ... This collapse of support for conventional centre-right politics has happened in polity after polity”— Individualism and cooperation: I

“Everyone can see that arbitrary entry—when it becomes known to be easily attainable enough—gives rise to the uncontrolled spread of poverty and desperation (and sometimes to violent reactions of intolerance and outright rejection), while simultaneously fostering a criminal industry of exploitation that aspires to cross borders in a clandestine manner.”— Cardinal Giacomo Biffi: On Immigration

“an illegal immigrant from India with a California CDL allegedly killed a family on Florida’s Turnpike after failing to properly complete an illegal U-turn on the tollway.”— Dem known for Trump impeachment disrupts GOP hearing on illegal immigrant truck licenses

“He noted one case in his home state where an illegal immigrant with a New York driver’s license that had a REAL ID endorsement and the name "No Name Given" was discovered and arrested along Interstate 40.”— Dem known for Trump impeachment disrupts GOP hearing on illegal immigrant truck licenses

“Ending humanitarian parole and TPS could affect about 2.5 million people currently legally in the U.S., Bier wrote. ... "Over the next three years, 400,000 legal immigrants and nearly 1 million tourists, business travelers, international students, foreign workers, and other temporary visitors will face this ban," according to a Cato Institute analysis.”— Trump said he's pro legal immigration, his policies say otherwise

“The backlog surpassed 3 million cases in November, rising from 1.9 million cases in September 2022... There are now more immigrants in the U.S. with a pending immigration case than people living in Chicago... Some are not due to appear in court for years as judges grapple with caseloads of more than 4,000 each.”— As migration surges, immigration court case backlog swells to over 3 million

““As Secretary Mayorkas concluded in October 2021 after a thorough review, the prior Administration’s Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) has endemic flaws, imposes unjustifiable human costs, and pulls resources and personnel away from other priority efforts to secure our border,””— Supreme Court says Biden can end Trump-era ‘Remain in Mexico’ immigration policy | CNN Politics

“One in four of the CBP and ICE workers who responded to the survey said they planned to leave their jobs within the year, decisions they said were influenced by difficulties in carrying out their assigned tasks and low morale in the workplace. Close to 90% said their locations were unprepared for migrant surges.”— Audit: As border cases go up, staffing stays the same and morale falls

““They’re doing some law enforcement but they’re also providing care and welfare services to the detained and those individuals who they’re processing,” Cuffari said.”— Audit: As border cases go up, staffing stays the same and morale falls

“arbitrary entry—when it becomes known to be easily attainable enough—gives rise to the uncontrolled spread of poverty and desperation (and sometimes to violent reactions of intolerance and outright rejection), while simultaneously fostering a criminal industry of exploitation”— Cardinal Giacomo Biffi: On Immigration

“Otherwise, such situations will inevitably provoke pernicious crises of rejection, blind attitudes of xenophobia, and the insurgence of deplorable racial intolerances.”— Cardinal Giacomo Biffi: On Immigration

“The law restricted the legal entry of Italians like Pugliese; along with Jews, southern and eastern Europeans, Chinese and others from Asia.”— Can the US handle more immigration? History and the Census suggest the answer is yes.

“Under President Biden’s lawless border policies, more than 6 million illegal immigrants have crossed our southern border in just 3 years. That is more than the population of 33 different States in this country. This illegal refusal to protect the States has inflicted unprecedented harm on the People all across the United States.”— Border Statement 1.24.2024

“à medida que a nossa população é substituída por imigrantes de 3º mundo, o nosso país torna-se mais como os países de onde provêm essas pessoas: sujo, inseguro, corrupto, com menos saúde, serviços públicos ou habitação.”— Afonso Gonçalves - Remigração: Como Salvar Portugal

““this population increase has devalued the quality of life of virtually everyone in the country: whether that is access to a [doctor’s] appointment … getting your kid into the local school … On the economics, it’s very simple: you increase the population by 10 million, your GDP increases, but your GDP per capita falls.” “A disturbing 41 percent of those charged with sex crimes in London in 2024 were foreign nationals... Foreign nationals account for one quarter of the population of London, compared to 16 percent of the country as a whole... then the figure goes up to 47 percent.””— Nigel Farage on the Rise - Chronicles

“forcibly separating more than 5,000 children from their parents between 2017 and 2018.”— Donald Trump’s New ‘Border Czar’ Defended Child Separation at Festival Held by Gun-Worshipping Sect

“He cited the case of a Guatemalan man, identified only as O.C.G., who did not have any known criminal history and had been granted a reprieve from being taken back to his home country because he had experienced sexual violence there. The government then "threw him on a bus to Mexico, where he had just been raped, and where he was quickly sent back to Guatemala, the place an immigration judge had just found he would likely be persecuted." OCG's attorneys said that he "remains in hiding in Guatemala."”— Trump's third-country deportations are unlawful, federal judge rules

“our fleet may be shrinking, our Army cannot withstand two weeks of war, and we still sell off what remains of our industrial capacity”— The Right's new parties won't save Britain

“The world order crumbling around us is, unfortunately for us, the one around which our entire economic and political systems still revolve.”— The Right's new parties won't save Britain

“Of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’ letter, we wrote, “If sent, this letter would constitute a direct attack on a free and independent press and a form of electoral interference.””— The Left Is Bleeding Hispanic Support—and They Know It

“Germany has a serious knife crime problem: according to the publication Apollo News, almost 14,000 stabbings were committed last year, a rise of 1,500 incidents compared to the previous year—which, in effect, means 38 knife attacks per day.”— Berlin Police Chief: ‘Most’ Violence Committed by Young Migrant Men

““The threshold of attacking a police officer, even if it is only pushing them, has also dropped significantly.””— Berlin Police Chief: ‘Most’ Violence Committed by Young Migrant Men

“Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez spoke outside a formerly grand hotel in Manhattan, now used as a migrant shelter, about the city’s difficulties housing, feeding, and controlling over 60,000 illegal aliens, many of whom have been exceedingly belligerent to their American hosts.”— The BorderLine: Boggled by Biden’s Border Crisis? Relax, AOC Is in Charge

“But in the end, 85% of them won’t complete the asylum application process or qualify. And under Biden, they stand next to zero chance of being deported whatever the outcome of their cases.”— The BorderLine: Boggled by Biden’s Border Crisis? Relax, AOC Is in Charge

“Brenton Tarrant, the man accused of murdering 49 worshippers and injuring dozens of others in two New Zealand mosques Friday”— New Zealand Terrorist Manifesto Influenced by Far-Right Online Ecosystem, Hatewatch Finds

“Adherents hope the collapse will give rise to radical, presently unthinkable changes in our society. Accelerationism is pushed heavily by admirers of the book Siege”— New Zealand Terrorist Manifesto Influenced by Far-Right Online Ecosystem, Hatewatch Finds

“U.S. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has backed away further from his hard-line stance on deporting millions of illegal immigrants, risking backlash from his base who have taken him at his word.”— Trump drifts toward 'amnesty' for illegal immigrants but would tax 'em

“the trend is unmistakable—and has proved to be one of Kamala Harris’s biggest political liabilities as Election Day approaches.”— Essay | How the Democrats Bungled the Politics of Immigration

“There have been over 7 million migrant crossings during Biden’s time in office.”— Biden order to block most illegal immigrants when crossings surge, as election nears

“Demos found in 2018 that about three-quarters of the public considered that immigration had increased divisions.”— What is the problem?

“Violence against persons has continued to rise sharply, reaching a record of 900 assaults per day, including 120 assaults involving bladed weapons. This is according to the Interior Ministry’s figures. Although they only take into account crimes for which complaints are filed, they still show 220 daily cases of sexual violence in France on average. Homicides and attempted homicides have been rising sharply in recent years.”— The more time passes, the less reversible the situation will be, says prominent author Laurent Obertone on risk of civil war in France

“The French state is only strong with the weak... This is absolutely not the case with these gangs and in the suburbs, which are breeding grounds for criminals and jihadists.”— The more time passes, the less reversible the situation will be, says prominent author Laurent Obertone on risk of civil war in France

“drain other resources, other personnel resources in the Department of Homeland security, and our fiscal year 2023 budget is a powerful example of how we are seeking additional resources from Congress to establish a more enduring solution than mere reliance on contract personnel. We have requested funding for 300 more border-patrol agents, and we have requested funding for full-time case-processing personnel.”— DHS Secretary Mayorkas Faces Questions on Border Policy (4-27-22 Transcript)

“Net Zero means raising the price of energy, thereby narrowing access to it, and, in particular, narrowing the range of economic activity that is commercially sustainable. Even without increasing the population, that will increase contestation over resources. Add mass immigration to the mix, and that contestation becomes much worse.”— Net Zero + Mass Immigration => National Populism

“downward pressure on wages and increased fiscal stress (if importing significant numbers of low-capital/skill immigrants)”— Net Zero + Mass Immigration => National Populism

“It’s not hyperbole to say that the entire rise of what is termed “right-wing populism” by its opponents stems from the unwillingness of mainstream political parties to control immigration.”— The pathologies of outdated ideologies

Downfall

Warnings from transition advisers and border veterans proved accurate when encounters doubled after inauguration and continued climbing, culminating in a political crisis that eroded public faith in Biden’s immigration policy. A New York Times examination later catalogued the ignored recommendations. ^[1][5]

A working paper by Adam Cox, David Hausman, and Mary Hoopes examined nine major enforcement actions and found few large immediate effects on border numbers, suggesting policy was not the primary driver. FOIA data obtained by the Cato Institute showed Biden had tripled interior detentions, increased border detentions twelve-fold, boosted removal flights fifty-five percent, and removed 3.3 million crossers. Encounters halved before his 2024 executive order as labor market conditions cooled. ^[2][4]

Multiple studies, including work by Hanson and Massey, used instrumental variable analysis to show enforcement had little net effect on reducing migration but increased settlement and raised crossing risks. Encounters kept rising after May 2020 under Title 42, then dropped sharply after its end when Title 8 restored legal consequences. ^[6][8]

The Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General audit released in May 2023, based on employee surveys and encounter data, documented workforce fatigue and quit intentions despite official hiring claims. A House subcommittee hearing exposed gaps in commercial driver’s license enforcement involving illegal immigrants. The Supreme Court ruled five-to-four that the statute governing the Migrant Protection Protocols was discretionary, limiting lower-court injunctions. ^[22][23][24]

Persistent disruptions and lack of coherent planning exposed shortcomings in the culture-of-welcome approach urged by church documents. Public backlash, lawsuits, and court orders ended certain restrictive policies, yet migration flows continued. Growing evidence suggests the original assumption that reversal would produce only modest effects without crisis is increasingly questioned by data on scale, recidivism, and political consequences. ^[9][18]

▶ Supporting Quotes (36)

“The warnings came true, and then some... a New York Times examination of Mr. Biden’s record found that he and his closest advisers repeatedly rebuffed recommendations that could have addressed the border crisis faster”— Is the NYT Becoming Realist on Immigration?

“we recently studied nine of the most prominent new enforcement actions of the last decade from Obama to Trump to Biden. We found few large, immediate effects on numbers at the border.”— Fact Checking the “Success” of Trump Border Patrol Policies

“In fact, the border crisis began before Biden took office and ended before he left. From his administration’s first day in January 2021, Biden actually increased border enforcement—arrests, detentions, and removals of border crossers all increased.”— Biden Didn’t Cause the Border Crisis, Part 1: Summary

“The actual causes of the increases in illegal immigration were: Unprecedented labor demand, which incentivized and funded migration from around the world... Unprecedented access to information about migration through the Internet and social media”— Biden Didn’t Cause the Border Crisis, Part 1: Summary

“The warnings came true, and then some.”— How Biden Ignored Warnings and Lost Americans’ Faith in Immigration

“The month before the end of Title 42, in April 2023, there were nearly 73,500 gotaways, according to federal data obtained by the Cato Institute; two months later, the number had more than halved, to 32,800.”— Title 42 Postmortem: U.S. Pandemic-Era Expulsions Policy Did Not Shut Down the Border

“The use of Title 42 at the border was not uniform, and it diminished over time; just 41 percent of overall encounters while the order was in effect led to expulsions.”— Title 42 Postmortem: U.S. Pandemic-Era Expulsions Policy Did Not Shut Down the Border

“studies indicate that the surge in border enforcement had little effect in reducing unauthorized migration to the United States (Hanson and Spilimbergo 1999; Hanson, Robertson, and Spilmbergo 2002; Davila, Pagan, and Soydemir 2002; Hanson and McIntosh 2009, 2010; Massey and Riosmena 2010; Angelucci 2012; Massey, Durand, and Pren 2014).”— Why Border Enforcement Backfired

“Other Border Patrol veterans and officials who spoke to The Washington Post expressed similar alarm about the possibility of a new migration crisis in the middle of the pandemic.”— Biden plans to spurn Trump immigration restrictions, but risk of new border crisis looms

“The hearing — hosted by the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations and Accountability — focused on whether illegal immigrants are obtaining non-domicile CDLs and whether the Department of Homeland Security has properly coordinated”— Dem known for Trump impeachment disrupts GOP hearing on illegal immigrant truck licenses

“The administration's actions "will lead to the largest restriction in legal immigration—setting aside 2020—since the 1920s," David Bier, associate director of immigration studies at the libertarian Cato Institute, wrote in December.”— Trump said he's pro legal immigration, his policies say otherwise

“There were 734 immigration judges on the bench in October, up from 517 in 2020... But even with hundreds more judges on the bench, the courts haven't been able to keep pace... U.S. Customs and Border Protection recorded nearly 2.5 million migrant encounters at the Southwest border in fiscal 2023”— As migration surges, immigration court case backlog swells to over 3 million

“The Supreme Court’s decision is a major victory for the Biden immigration agenda... Roberts wrote that the government’s authority to release some migrants on parole, rather than detain them or send them back to Mexico, is not “unbounded,” while noting immigration law’s requirement that parole be used “on a case-by-case basis.””— Supreme Court says Biden can end Trump-era ‘Remain in Mexico’ immigration policy | CNN Politics

“The audit surveyed 57,000 CBP and ICE employees and got 9,311 responses. It said that common themes in the responses were “frustration over lack of work-life balance as well as fatigue caused by the pressure of managing overtime, details, and frequent changes in immigration policies.””— Audit: As border cases go up, staffing stays the same and morale falls

“the disruptions and hardships generated by immigration are already in motion. A historical challenge of this magnitude requires a response – as in the face of all unforeseen and inevitable events of the human experience – without panic and without superficiality.”— Cardinal Giacomo Biffi: On Immigration

“Trump administration throws out policies limiting migrant arrests at sensitive spots like churches”— Trump administration throws out policies limiting migrant arrests at sensitive spots like churches

“U.S. census data shows the foreign-born population made up 13.9% of the total in 2022, and the bureau's latest monthly estimate suggests it hit 15% last year... if it weren't for immigration, the population of the United States would be shrinking... Population growth rates in the 2020s are the lowest of any decade in the history of the U.S., which is bad for the economy.”— Can the US handle more immigration? History and the Census suggest the answer is yes.

“The failure of the Biden Administration to fulfill the duties imposed by Article IV, § 4 has triggered Article I, § 10, Clause 3, which reserves to this State the right of self-defense.”— Border Statement 1.24.2024

“A concretização da vitória metapolítica do trabalho da Reconquista no debate migratório surgiu através de André Ventura [...] Para além do líder da oposição André Ventura e de Pedro Frazão, também os deputados Rita Matias, Madalena Cordeiro e Bruno Nunes, e o ministro da presidência António Leitão Amaro já fizeram uso deste termo.”— Afonso Gonçalves - Remigração: Como Salvar Portugal

“Homan defended the policy.”— Donald Trump’s New ‘Border Czar’ Defended Child Separation at Festival Held by Gun-Worshipping Sect

“Wednesday's ruling came in a class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of migrants facing deportation to countries not previously named in their removal orders or identified in their immigration court proceedings.”— Trump's third-country deportations are unlawful, federal judge rules

“Yet it is this order that is already dead, and the old world of hard power and industrial capacity is writing the outlines of the coming century.”— The Right's new parties won't save Britain

“Trump won almost 40% of their vote in 2020... The Washington Post itself recently put Hispanic support for Trump at an unheard-of 42%.”— The Left Is Bleeding Hispanic Support—and They Know It

““In recent years, we have definitely seen an increase [in knife attacks] in Berlin, especially among children, young people and adolescents. Knife perpetrators are getting younger,””— Berlin Police Chief: ‘Most’ Violence Committed by Young Migrant Men

“According to a recent poll, only 23% of Americans approve of Biden’s handling of the border, while 62% disapprove.”— The BorderLine: Boggled by Biden’s Border Crisis? Relax, AOC Is in Charge

“Tarrant, a 28-year-old man from Australia, titled his manifesto “The Great Replacement.” This term can be traced to the French writer Renaud Camus. Influential on the racist right”— New Zealand Terrorist Manifesto Influenced by Far-Right Online Ecosystem, Hatewatch Finds

“At a rally earlier in Tampa, Florida (pictured), Trump did not talk about deporting as many as 11 million illegal immigrants as he has in the past, instead saying he would aim enforcement efforts at people who are committing crimes such as overstaying their visas.”— Trump drifts toward 'amnesty' for illegal immigrants but would tax 'em

“many senators and representatives believed that the new, equal quotas would not be fully used by European, Asian, and Middle Eastern nations. In addition, they did not foresee the expansion of non-quota admissions... under the act's strengthened provisions for family reunification.”— The Legacy of the 1965 Immigration Act

“It is the chart that Trump was starting to show a crowd at the rally in Butler, Pa., in July when he turned and was grazed by a would-be assassin’s bullet. He credits the chart with saving his life.”— Essay | How the Democrats Bungled the Politics of Immigration

“A recent Fox News poll found that seven in 10 voters go so far as to say the White House has "mostly failed" at improving border security.”— Biden order to block most illegal immigrants when crossings surge, as election nears

“Polling regularly finds that the British public wants immigration to be lower than it currently is - and in fact the average person does not realise the current scale of mass immigration.”— What is the problem?

“Absolutely not. There are new victims all the time. Immigration is not questioned, and neither is the justice system... The more time passes, the less reversible the situation will be.”— The more time passes, the less reversible the situation will be, says prominent author Laurent Obertone on risk of civil war in France

“What Australia has in common with the pattern in the UK, and the rise of AfD (Alternative for Deutschland) in Germany, is the combination of Net Zero (or equivalent) with mass immigration leading to a national populist surge. ... the 14 December 2025 Bondi massacre by an Islamawi immigrant father and his locally-born son brought these concerns into sharp relief”— Net Zero + Mass Immigration => National Populism

“with the partial exception of Denmark, mainstream parties have been unwilling to do this... Despite growing calls from, for example, The Economist, to scrap the asylum system”— The pathologies of outdated ideologies

Sources

[1]
Is the NYT Becoming Realist on Immigration?opinion
Steve Sailer · Steve Sailer · 2025-12-08
[2]
Fact Checking the “Success” of Trump Border Patrol Policiesreputable_journalism
Adam Cox, David Hausman, Mary S. Hoopes · Just Security · 2026-02-03
[3]
Do Border Policies Deter Migrants?primary_source
Adam B. Cox, David Hausman, Mary Hoopes · SSRN
[4]
Biden Didn’t Cause the Border Crisis, Part 1: Summaryreputable_journalism
David J. Bier · Cato Institute · 2025-01-16
[5]
How Biden Ignored Warnings and Lost Americans’ Faith in Immigrationreputable_journalism
Christopher Flavelle · New York Times · 2025-12-07
[6]
Title 42 Postmortem: U.S. Pandemic-Era Expulsions Policy Did Not Shut Down the Borderreputable_journalism
Muzaffar Chishti, Kathleen Bush-Joseph, and Julian Montalvo · Migration Policy Institute · 2024-04-25
[7]
Border Patrol: 70 Percent Drop in Successful Evasions Since Title 42 Endedreputable_journalism
David J. Bier · Cato Institute · 2024-03-04
[8]
Why Border Enforcement Backfiredpeer_reviewed
Douglas S Massey, Jorge Durand, Karen A Pren · American Journal of Sociology · 2016-03
[9]
Biden plans to spurn Trump immigration restrictions, but risk of new border crisis loomsreputable_journalism
Nick Miroff, Maria Sacchetti · Washington Post · 2020-12-02
[10]
What a Glimpse of Biden’s Cabinet Tells Us About His Immigration Policyopinion
Federation for American Immigration Reform · 2020-11-25
[11]
Individualism and cooperation: Iopinion
Helen Dale and Lorenzo Warby · Not On Your Team, But Always Fair · 2026-02-28
[18]
Cardinal Giacomo Biffi: On Immigrationopinion
Cardinal Giacomo Biffi (address), Joshua Mercer (editorial) · CatholicVote · 2000-09-30
[19]
Dem known for Trump impeachment disrupts GOP hearing on illegal immigrant truck licensesreputable_journalism
Charles Creitz · Fox News · 2025-01-15
[20]
Trump said he's pro legal immigration, his policies say otherwisereputable_journalism
Maria Ramirez Uribe, PolitiFact · PBS NewsHour · 2026-03-01
[21]
As migration surges, immigration court case backlog swells to over 3 millionreputable_journalism
Lauren Villagran · USA TODAY · 2023-12-27
[22]
Supreme Court says Biden can end Trump-era ‘Remain in Mexico’ immigration policy | CNN Politicsreputable_journalism
CNN Politics · CNN · 2022-06-30
[23]
Audit: As border cases go up, staffing stays the same and morale fallsreputable_journalism
Jasmine Kabiri, Cronkite News · Cronkite News · 2023-06-06
[24]
OIG-23-24: Southwest Land Border Encounters Have Increased Significantly, Resulting in Workforce Fatigue and Low Moraleprimary_source
DHS Office of Inspector General · DHS OIG · 2023-05
[25]
DHS OIG Written Testimony June 6, 2023 Hearingprimary_source
Joseph Cuffari, DHS Inspector General · House Oversight Committee · 2023-06-06
[26]
Trump administration throws out policies limiting migrant arrests at sensitive spots like churchesreputable_journalism
AP News
[27]
Can the US handle more immigration? History and the Census suggest the answer is yes.reputable_journalism
Lauren Villagran · USA TODAY · 2024-01-11
[28]
Southwest Land Border Encountersprimary_source
U.S. Customs and Border Protection · CBP · ongoing
[29]
Border Statement 1.24.2024primary_source
Governor Greg Abbott · Office of the Governor, Texas · 2024-01-24
[30]
Afonso Gonçalves - Remigração: Como Salvar Portugalopinion
Afonso Gonçalves · Reconquista
[31]
Nigel Farage on the Rise - Chroniclesreputable_journalism
Nicholas Farrell · Chronicles · 2025-10-01
[32]
Donald Trump’s New ‘Border Czar’ Defended Child Separation at Festival Held by Gun-Worshipping Sectreputable_journalism
Wired · 2024-12
[33]
Trump's third-country deportations are unlawful, federal judge rulesreputable_journalism
Amanda Lee Myers · USA TODAY · 2026-02-25
[34]
The Right's new parties won't save Britainreputable_journalism
Aris Roussinos · Unherd · 2024-05-16
[35]
The Left Is Bleeding Hispanic Support—and They Know Itreputable_journalism
Daily Signal · 2023-11-27
[36]
Berlin Police Chief: ‘Most’ Violence Committed by Young Migrant Menreputable_journalism
The European Conservative
[37]
The BorderLine: Boggled by Biden’s Border Crisis? Relax, AOC Is in Chargereputable_journalism
Daily Signal · 2023-09-28
[38]
New Zealand Terrorist Manifesto Influenced by Far-Right Online Ecosystem, Hatewatch Findsreputable_journalism
Southern Poverty Law Center Hatewatch · 2019-03-15
[39]
Trump drifts toward 'amnesty' for illegal immigrants but would tax 'emreputable_journalism
DAVID MARTOSKO, U.S. POLITICAL EDITOR FOR DAILYMAIL.COM and REUTERS · Daily Mail · 2016-08-25
[40]
The Legacy of the 1965 Immigration Actreputable_journalism
CIS · cis.org · 1995-09-01
[41]
Essay | How the Democrats Bungled the Politics of Immigrationreputable_journalism
David Luhnow, Ryan Dubé and Juan Forero · Wall Street Journal · 2024-11-01
[42]
Biden order to block most illegal immigrants when crossings surge, as election nearsreputable_journalism
Adam Shaw · Fox News · 2024-06-04
[43]
What is the problem?reputable_journalism
Migration Watch UK · Migration Watch UK
[44]
The more time passes, the less reversible the situation will be, says prominent author Laurent Obertone on risk of civil war in Francereputable_journalism
RMX News
[45]
DHS Secretary Mayorkas Faces Questions on Border Policy (4-27-22 Transcript)primary_source
Rev.com · 2022-04-27
[46]
Unleashing Power in New Ways: Immigration in the First Year of Trump 2.0reputable_journalism
Migration Policy Institute · 2025-01-01
[47]
Fear and confusion, but not chaos, along the southern border after Title 42 endsreputable_journalism
NPR · 2023-05-12
[48]
One year in, a look at the impact of Trump's immigration crackdownreputable_journalism
PBS NewsHour · 2025-01-01
[49]
Net Zero + Mass Immigration => National Populismopinion
Lorenzo Warby · Lorenzo from Oz · 2026-03-28
[50]
Borderless Welfare State - The Consequences of Immigration for Public Financesreputable_journalism
Jan van den Beek, Hans Roodenburg, Joop Hartog, Gerrit Kreffer · 2023
[51]
The pathologies of outdated ideologiesopinion
Will Solfiac · The Critic Magazine · 2026-04-03

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ID: FA-20260210-cdc7ac7a · Created: 2026-02-10T19:16:23.853051 · Schema v3