Allow me to comment on Kathleen Burrow's letter concerning illegal entries.
She expressed concern about the “several millions of people who have illegally entered our country in the past year.” Hopefully, the following will alleviate her concern.
First, understand that no one knows the number of illegal aliens living in the United States and have escaped the Border patrol this year. All numbers seem to estimate and can be large or small depending on your political worldview.
We know that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency reports 1.9 million encounters at the border. The vast majority of these people are denied entry into the U.S. and are sent back to Mexico or their native county. About 400,000 are allowed access into the USA and not millions. These are legal entries. People are allowed entry and asked to report to the Customs people in their new home. The vast majority don’t report and become illegal again. The estimate is we have about 12 million illegal people living in the USA.
Biden’s immigration policy has very little to do with the number of people who try to come to the USA. Instead, factors in their home country drive this migration. Poverty, lack of employment, drugs, and gangs have more to do with their moving north than Biden.
To think, as the author does, that Biden’s administration is intentionally planning to overwhelm the system is ludicrous. The borders are a political issue that will impact his re-election (if he decides to run), and right now, he is not winning on the immigration issue. My guess is he could love to see the crowds at the border disappear and the immigration problem solved.
The nation provides very little in services for new undocumented immigrants. For example, they are not eligible for federal welfare services. Instead, they work and pay taxes while not receiving any benefits from those taxes.
I believe that the United States needs these new immigrants. Florida has 500,000 open jobs, many entry-level. We all see the “help wanted” signs in hospitality and foodservice. In addition, Florida has openings in agriculture and construction that need to be filled. Immigrants can fill these positions.
Thomas Mitchell
Inverness