Opinion: Dear Democrats, Illegal Immigration is not a manufactured crisis

Democrats and progressives alike have been calling illegal immigration a so-called “manufactured process.” This is in response to the Trump’s often explosive tweets regarding illegal immigration and the need for “the wall.” The Democrats have every right to disagree with the President regarding border security such as the construction of a wall on the southern border or the Obama Administration procedure of separating children from their parents at the border or the laws in place. However, to say that this is a manufactured crisis is not only factually incorrect, but also deceiving to the public.

Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) who is currently Speaker of the House stated in her response to President Trump’s Oval Office address regarding the shutdown that this was a “manufactured crisis,” according to the Atlantic.

However, looking at the facts, Pelosi is far from the truth. According to the Los Angeles Times, in the month of February, there were “66,450 migrants arrested crossing the southwestern border in February — a rate of more than 2,300 per day — was more than almost any month in the last decade.”

According to Axios, U.S. Customs and Border Protection encountered 103,492 migrants attempting to cross the border illegally in March. According to the data from the Department of Homeland Security, illegal immigration apprehension has increased to record highs and that there is a problem at the souther border.

 Total border apprehensions over fiscal years from 2014 to 2019. (Image courtesy of Customs and Border Protection)

When Democrats say that this is a “manufactured crisis,” they are denying the factual evidence which is that this is a real crisis and not made-up by the Trump Administration to build a wall. There is a legitimate crisis at the border and once the Democrats start to realize this, only then can we solve this issue. Past presidents such as Clinton, Bush, and Obama along with Congress have failed in immigration reform.

To be frank, Nancy Pelosi and Democrats need to “man-up” and admit that Trump is indeed right about illegal immigration and that it is a crisis. If we can all recognize that there is not only a humanitarian crisis going on at the border, but also one about the economy and national security, only then can we have any real change. If Democrats can admit that there is a crisis and start to work with Republicans and the President, then we can actually get something done in a bipartisan fashion that hasn’t been really seen in this administration. Democrats wake up and help us fix this issue!