Pundits with varying levels of authority who address border security and immigration are a dime a dozen. Election candidates decry the matter, seemingly on every street corner. Arm-chair commentators on the issue are legion. So why hear me out?
I teach border security — immigration, crime and terrorism aspects included — in college. My CIA career gave me expertise in cross-border affairs—my own operations and those of narcotics traffickers, organized crime figures, human smugglers and money launderers.
Domestic and foreign border patrol and immigration officers were colleagues. My U.S. government duties included supporting efforts to block intending immigrants from entering our country under false pretenses and work with visa fraud investigators. My spouse is naturalized. I have three foreign-born kids. I have neighbors and acquaintances who are illegals. I have advised immigrants who were “out of status.” In short, I have skin in the game.
I cannot comprehensively cover the issue in this short, albeit two-part, essay. I can, however, dispel some fallacies, elucidate the complexity, and make you a better informed interlocutor on the issue. No, I do not have a surefire solution anymore so than the administrations of presidents past, present or future (for the reasons below). Let’s dive in.
First, a lot of border and immigration data is publicly available. Educate yourself. When you stick to the verified facts, ignore agenda-pushers, you can easily confirm the realities laid out below, and I encourage you to do so, as space constraints preclude sourcing for every dynamic brought to light here. A focus on the data will also cause you to quickly grasp that the issue is far more complex than is portrayed by special interest groups and some politicians.
Next, let’s dispel some myths.
Most illegals seek employment and better, sometimes safer, lives for themselves and their children. The issue is not unique to the U.S. The situation tracks with a global trend in migrants moving to wealthier nations, now and through time.
Irrespective of motive, border crossings are not always a cake walk. Thousands of migrants of different nationalities — including Russians, Bangladeshis and Syrians — have died trying to cross our southern border alone.
Criminals and terrorists crossing by land, though a legitimate concern, are in the far minority. Relatedly, the number of crimes committed by illegals in the U.S. — from driving drunk to murder — are infinitesimally small compared to those committed by citizens daily. Just look at the publicly available arrest and crimes data.
Few illegal immigrants try to register to vote for fear of exposing their residency status to officials. Meanwhile, others overcome that concern to join our military, fight for the nation. Some pay taxes (an estimated $96.7 billion in local, state and federal revenue in 2022, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy), and they are not eligible for many federal benefits.
Still with me? Let’s examine root causes.
A steady flow of undocumented migrants is guaranteed by readily available work: gated communities of Boomers who want lawns manicured cheaply; residents of border states hiring day laborers from retail store parking lots; and companies — everything from mom-and-pop restaurants to large corporations — profiting from sweat labor. (Remember when President Trump’s conglomerate in 2019 was outed for employing illegals?)
This economic problem, driven by the law of supply (jobs) and demand (job seekers), will continue until we disincentivize migration by shutting down the illegals’ job market (outlaw the hiring of undocumented workers and severely punish employers in violation). But first ask yourself, “Who will fill those jobs?” (Let me know if you come up with a fact-based answer.)
Let’s take a breather. In part two of this essay, we will explore aspects of the problem that are potentially even less well understood by casual observers of the issue. You may find yourself surprised by the data-based look at the effectiveness of border walls and mass deportations (a historical and global perspective), lawful immigration by terrorists and criminals, illegals’ constitutional rights, and foreign intelligence services’ covert operations in our nation that exploit this issue.
A hui hou!
J.P. Atwell is a former senior CIA operations officer. His two-decade career began as an intelligence analyst and took him to every continent, save Antarctica. He now calls Hawaii Island home. He welcomes your comments at island.intelligencer@gmail.com.