Originally Published March 4, 2019.
UPDATES
April 10, 2019 – New data and expanded research.
July 4, 2019 – California 9th Circuit Court Blocks Trump border wall construction with Pentagon funds.
July 26, 2019 – U.S. Supreme Court Overrules 9th Circuit; Trump can build the wall with Pentagon funds.
written by Net Advisor™
EXCERPT: We have collected 1,005 articles and reports covering 159 topics with regard to illegal immigration. Needless to say, this is a huge topic to fully cover.
In this report, we cover noted border security history, general U.S. policy, costs of illegal immigration, related crimes of human trafficking, gangs, drugs, and terrorism. We also took a look at border security around the world.
Does the U.S. have a National Emergency? Read this report supported by extensive research from primary sources and then decide.
WASHINGTON, DC. President Donald J. Trump declared a National Emergency on February 15, 2019 stating in part that the U.S. lacks proper and effective security on the U.S. Southern Border and has caused a humanitarian crisis. Trump requests existing funds from various military departments to find unused resources to put toward construction of a border wall or barrier.
The President is using this Congressional authority under the National Emergencies Act (NEA).
Some in the media have called this a “Constitutional Clash;” arguing that the President is going around Congress’ to fund security for the U.S. border. The U.S. began taking more proactive action to secure and defend its border since 1904.
[1] States File Lawsuit.
Some 16 states led by California, filed a 57-page lawsuit in attempt to block Trump’s National Emergency Declaration, calling the President’s action, “unconstitutional.” Of the 16 states that filed the lawsuit, 15 have Democrat governors. The one state with a Republican governor involved in the suit is Larry Hogan of Maryland.
Of the 16 states in the lawsuit, only TWO actually share a border with Mexico. Hawaii, a named Plaintiff, shares no borders, unless you count being surrounded by the Pacific Ocean a border?
[2] States Appear to Lack Standing.
California and the other states in the lawsuit ultimately have no legal standing over U.S. immigration policy – only the federal government does over national security issues, in re: Hines v. Davidowitz (1941).
Under the U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 8, Clause 4, grants Congress, not the states the authority over establishing (immigration) nationalization.
Further, states cannot circumvent a President’s Constitutional or Congress-given authority under Article II. Only Congress or the U.S. Supreme Court can have a final say over a President’s granted authority.
The U.S. Constitution is the supreme authority over states and the federal government. States have power that are not enumerated in the Constitution.
Aside from standing, States’ case looks weak. States argue that Trump’s National Emergency disrupts state environmental laws; loss of funds from military bases (when no losses have actually occurred); to states’ claiming ‘supreme authority’ over the people in the state.
States don’t actually have ‘supreme authority’ over the people in their states, the U.S. Constitution is the Supreme Authority.
[3] California Lost Previous Lawsuit Over Trump Border Construction.
In 2017, California had a previous environmental lawsuit attempting to block President Trump from building/ expanding border walls/ security in California. That state lawsuit was rejected by U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel. The District Court sided with the Trump Administration permitting the building/ expanding of wall/ fencing in California.
[4] (D) House Seeks to Block Border Security.
Next, Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) called a vote for a bill to block Trump’s National Emergency. The bill passed (245-182) in the (D)-controlled House. All 232 House Democrats, and 13 House Republicans voted to block Trump’s use of the National Emergency Act for U.S. Border Security. There were 182 Republicans who voted against blocking Trump’s NEA and two (R) did not vote. The bill now goes to the (R)-controlled Senate.
Even if the bill passes the Senate, the bill then goes before the President who has stated he will use his Constitutional authority to Veto the bill. Congress would then need 2/3rds vote in BOTH Houses to override a Presidential Veto. There is pretty much no chance of this occurring.
[UPDATE: Senate passed (59-41) the House Resolution to block Trump’s National Emergency over the Border Crisis. As expected, Trump vetoed the Resolution. Congress did not have anywhere close 2/3rds votes required to override the Veto, thus Trump’s Emergency stands.]
When you think about it, most of Congress is now against the idea of U.S. border security by the actions they just voted on. This really can make one think, whose side is Congress on? Defending the People of America, or defending citizens of foreign countries?
[5] Illegal Immigration is About Votes and Money.
Illegal immigration is really about votes and money. It appears Democrats seek a class of low to uneducated complaint future voters to keep them in power. In return, Democrats offer massive welfare benefits paid by U.S. citizen taxpayers.
Next, too many (Establishment) Republicans are politically and financially backed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce – the #1 U.S. lobby organization. The Chamber represents businesses who want low-waged labor to keep business profits up.
The Chamber has historically been associated with Republicans, however the Chamber has the same ideology as Democrats: Effective Open Borders and Amnesty.
The goals are the same. The outcomes are both politically self-serving. Dems seek future complaint voters, and Republicans seek greater profits for business. Neither outcomes represent the majority interests of U.S. citizens.
[6] Effective Open Borders Drives Down U.S. Wages.
The result of open borders, amnesty, and the (illegal) importation of massive foreign workers, drives down U.S. wages, as foreign workers are willing to work for a fraction of wages of Americans.
Studies have repeatedly told us that uncontrolled illegal immigration suppresses U.S. wages, and negatively impacts jobs sought by legal immigrants and Afro-Americans the most.
If politicians on both sides were really in support of legal immigrants and Afro-Americas, then they would be against illegal immigration who are suppressing their U.S. wages.
[7] Democrats Were FOR Border Walls, Before They Were Against It.
It could be argued that both political parties are acting in political self-interest, but certainty not in America’s interest. Democrats voted for border barriers and other border security long before President Trump came to office.
[8] Operation Gatekeeper (1994).
In 1994, Democratic Attorney General, Janet Reno (1938-2016) and under President Bill Clinton (D-AR), launched “Operation Gatekeeper.” The purpose was to try and halt illegal immigration into the U.S. No one legally challenged Democrat Clinton or the AG about curbing illegal immigration.
No one in the media, or political action groups claimed that President Clinton or AG Reno were “racist,” or the fencing was “immoral.”
By 1997, Congress authorized $800 Million in new funding to double the number of U.S. border agents; implement other physical and technological barriers at the U.S. Border.
According to U.S. Border Patrol, most of the illegal crossings were coming through California from Mexico at the time. This was a huge problem for U.S. Border agents where over 500,000 illegal aliens were apprehended just in the San Diego area (Chart below).
One could say there was a ‘humanitarian crisis’ at the border in 1993. President Bill Clinton and his Democrat Attorney General acted to curb the problem.
Operation Gatekeeper managed to reduce illegal border crossing in San Diego by 75% (seventy-five percent) over the following several years.
“The drastic reduction in apprehensions prompted the Border Patrol to undertake a full-scale effort in San Diego, California, which accounted for more than half of illegal entries.
Operation “Gatekeeper” was implemented in 1994, and reduced illegal entries in San Diego by more than 75% over the next few years.”
— Source: U.S. Customs Border Protection (CBP)
The operation included, “Solid fencing – constructed from surplus steel landing mats obtained from the Department of Defense – was erected along long stretches of the border starting at the ocean.”
So in other words, like President Trump, President Clinton asked the Defense Dept. to find unused resources to build border barriers.
There were some issues of people being able to scale the wall because of its design, but it did severely cut illegal crossings and drugs from coming across the U.S.-Mexico Border.
Those seeking to cross the U.S. Border illegally, then moved to areas of the border that did not have significant walls, or barriers (OIG Report).
Thus we can conclude by the results of Operation Gatekeeper, even crude border barriers worked to help slow the flow of illegal immigration into the USA by seventy-five percent.
By 1994, Congress passed, H.R. 3355; The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act. The Bill was sponsored by a Republican Texas Congressperson, and co-sponsored by two Democrats; then REP. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and REP. William Hughes (D-NJ). The law increased penalties for violent criminal offenders, and provided greater enforcement against illegal immigration.
Illegal immigration was a huge issue especially in California, where in 1994, the People of the Golden State voted and passed (59-41%), Proposition 187. The law prohibited illegal aliens from gaining taxpayer funded state benefits. Parts of the law were challenged in the courts for years.
The law was eventually repealed by multiple acts over ten years by a more liberal-Democratic government in the state. What the voters of California passed, did not matter. Several minority political groups managed to overpower the majority of the People in the state through the courts.
Some have argued the aftermath of Prop. 187 turned California into a (D)-state.
[9] The Secure Fence Act (2006).
By 2006, Congress passed the Secure Fence Act (3 pps, PDF). The Bill was supported by a whopping 66% of the House and 80% of the Senate. The Bill was signed by President George W. Bush (R-TX).
The Secure Fence Act had the support of then U.S. Senators including, but not limited to Barack Obama (D-IL), Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), and Joe Biden (D-DE).
No one in the media, or political action groups claimed that President Bush, or any of the majority of Democrats and Republicans who supported the border fence bill were “racist,” or the fencing was “immoral.”
In 2013, Democratic Senator from New York, Chuck Schumer introduced the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act (1,198 pps, PDF). The bill included to identify the need to build 700 miles of new fencing on the Southern US Border.
“(2) a Southern Border Fencing Strategy to identify where 700 miles of fencing and technology should be deployed along the Southern border.”
The bill was passed by 68% of the U.S. Senate including a majority of Democrats including Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). The Bill did not pass the House however, thus not presented to the President (Obama) at the time.
No one called Democratic Senator Schumer, Senator Warren, Senator Gillibrand or any other supporters backing new border fencing as “racists,” or that the fence was “immoral.”
By 2017, the House introduced H.R. 3548, Border Security for America Act of 2017. The bill was to address border security and new construction and repair of border walls and or other barriers.
Now that President Trump took office, Democrats who repeatedly backed border security, border fencing and barriers in the past suddenly are against the idea? Thus, the 2017 border security bill did not have the votes to pass Congress.
[10] Is The National Security Act Really “Unconstitutional?”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) argued that the use of the National Emergency Act is “lawless.”
“The president’s act is lawless — it does violence to our Constitution and therefore our democracy,” Ms. Pelosi said.
— Source: New York Times, Feb. 22, 2019
We’ll that’s a very interesting claim, and the courts will likely decide this fate, however the law appears to be on the President’s side.
The National Emergencies Act of 1976 was passed by a Democratic House and a Democratic Senate and signed by a Republican President. The law permits a President, with certain limitations to evoke this Congressional-given power over “national emergencies.”
“With respect to acts of Congress authorizing the exercise, during the period of a national emergency, of any special or extraordinary power, the President is authorized to declare such national emergency…”
Congress granted a sitting President the authority to declare a national emergency, and such are accountable to Congress under 50 USC § 1641. This does not mean a President can do whatever they want and call everything a ‘national emergency.’
For instance, a President cannot violate any Constitutional authority such as single-handedly repeal or restrict any Constitutional Amendment, such as declaring ‘Gun Violence’ a national emergency; then seeking to ban or restrict firearm purchases, sales, ownership or other use. There is a legal Constitutional process for that under Article V.
One could not call a ‘national emergency’ for some benign and vague issue regarding future unknown events such as “Climate Change;” then radically change domestic laws such as ending all motor vehicle use, airline use, and use of petroleum.
If after 43 years of its existence, Congress doesn’t like the National Emergency’s Act, then Congress could just write a law to repeal it or specifically define what constitutes a ‘National Emergency.’ However, it is much easier for Congress to whine and complain, than to get them to actually work. So the law stands until Congress changes it.
[11] Compare Border Security Emergency with Past Presidential Actions.
Past Presidential and other actions by former government officials seem more questionable than declaring a National Emergency at the U.S. border.
It’s not like President Trump secretly flew billions of dollars in cash on unmarked charter plans to the world’s number one state sponsor of terrorism – Iran.
It’s not like President Trump continued to release billions of dollars ($4.2 Billion), ($2.8 Billion), ($1 Billion), ($450 Million) to the world’s number one state sponsor of terrorism – Iran.
It’s not like Trump sent secret letters to Iran.
It’s not like President Trump colluded with Russia to get a $500,000 Moscow speech while his wife was soliciting the Russian government for $145 Million for Trump’s foundation in apparent exchange for U.S. uranium.
It’s not like President Trump was arranging massive donations for his foundation from other terrorist states?
It’s not like President Trump scrubbed names of suspected terrorists from a U.S. government database.
By the way, giving money, releasing money, secretly sending cash to a terrorist listed state is technically treason under 18 USC § 2381. Such arguably qualifies for High Crimes and Misdemeanors under Article II, Section 4, and only requires two witnesses to confirm the crime; see: Cramer v. United States (1945).
It is also a crime to use public office for private gain, 5 CFR § 2635.702. Thus taking in millions of dollars in “donations” for your personal foundation while creating the appearance of granting political favors is a crime.
No one called to impeach then President Barack Obama, or Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, let alone call or actually perform a legitimate investigation for these clear violations of law.
[12] OK to Defend Foreign Borders, Just Not the U.S. Border?
Trump is just seeking congressionally allocated Defense Department resources to defend the U.S. Border. The U.S. has spent nearly $6 Trillion defending borders of foreign nations. God forbid we spend a few billion to defend our own borders?
[13] History: Declared National Emergencies. Where They Really Emergencies?
There have been some 59 declared National Emergencies since 1976. Many have been related to blocking certain property of persons and foreign countries such as North Korea, Libya, Iran, Yemen, Syria, Ukraine, Africa, and Iraq (various dates); blocking assets related to narcotics trafficking (1995); prohibiting new investments in Burma (1997); blocking certain U.S. exports (various dates); blocking the importation of rough diamonds from Sierra Leon (2001); to blocking property of persons related to human trafficking (2018).
No one balked about blocking the import of diamonds to the U.S. – That was a declared National Emergency. Border Security, oh, that’s not really an emergency?
No one balked at blocking assets from narcotic traffickers – That was a declared National Emergency. Building a wall or other barriers to stop narcotic traffickers from bringing in tons of illegal drugs into the U.S. – that’s not a cause for a National Emergency?
[14] National Security, Not a ‘Manufactured Crisis.’
The Costs of Illegal Immigration.
Coming to America as a foreign citizen from 3rd-world countries is almost like winning the lottery.
Those coming to the U.S. – unlawfully – are eagerly willing to accept low-wage U.S. jobs and not complain to anyone. The low U.S. wages they receive are still far better than the wages they received from their home county. Call it, voluntary slavery?
Once in the U.S., working for low U.S. wages, aliens have the opportunity to cash in from U.S. taxpayers. There are over “1,000 federal and state benefit programs” including free education, free healthcare, free prescription drugs, free dental, free money for food, free shelter, and other free government subsidies.
In 2016, President Obama granted more money for illegal alien minors ($17,613 each) than the U.S. paid to retired U.S. citizens receiving Social Security. Keep in mind that U.S. citizen Social Security recipients paid into the system their entire life; illegal aliens get all this money and benefits because they just showed up at the door (U.S. border). Does that sound fair?
From 2009-11 alone, illegal aliens received nearly $121 million in free medicare at U.S. taxpayer expense. Also in 2011, illegal aliens cost just California hospitals over $1 Billion, driving up healthcare costs.
Illegal aliens are also receiving billions of U.S. dollars from the IRS in the form of tax credits (cash back) for claiming dependent non-U.S. citizen children and relatives living in foreign countries.
In 2011, we discussed U.S. border statistics which included the estimated $113 Billion a year in economic costs of illegal immigration to U.S. taxpayers. We also noted the risks of special interest (possible terror-related) illegal aliens.
By 2018, the problem has increasingly become more costly to U.S. taxpayers, now calculated at about $135 Billion a year. In California alone, some seven out of ten, or 70 percent of non-U.S. citizens are receiving some sort of welfare paid by U.S. taxpayers.
[15] Illegal Immigration: 20% of Criminal Aliens are in U.S. Prisons.
A U.S. government GAO report found that one in five or 22 percent of criminals in the U.S. prison system came to the U.S. illegally.
- 91% Criminal aliens came from Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Colombia, and Guatemala.
- Repeat Felons: 197,000 criminal aliens were arrested/ transferred 1.4 million times (1974-2017).
- Over 2 million crimes have been committed by illegal aliens.
— Source: GAO (PDF 120 pps)
The Obama Administration just released many of the criminal (not just economic migrants) out of prisons and back into the U.S. population unchecked.
[16] Criminal Aliens (2010-2015) – Where Are They Being Held?
- California 44%
- Texas 10%
- Florida 8%
- Arizona 5%
- Colorado 4%
- Georgia 4%
- All other locations 25%
— Source: GAO (p40)
[17] Do Illegal Aliens Commit Less Crimes?
Some have argued that illegal aliens commit fewer crimes than U.S. citizens. This is one of those half-truths but those people are misleading statistical data. Here are the numbers.
Total Criminal Convictions (2011-2016) (GAO, P96)
- U.S. Citizens: 254,120 Criminal Convictions
- Illegal Aliens: 201,330 Criminal Convictions
Thus, illegal aliens accounted for 44.2% of all criminal convictions in the USA. [Math: Illegal Alien Convictions (201,330) divided by Total Convictions (455,450) = 44.2046 percent.]
Based on this data, the misleading half-truth is, illegal aliens appear to commit less crimes than U.S. citizens.
But when one accounts the U.S. population (331 Million as of 03-03-2019), vs illegal alien population (12 million in 2015 according to DHS, or 22.1 million according to a 2018 Yale University study), illegal aliens commit a greater percentage of crimes verses the over-all U.S. population.
This does not include coming to the U.S. illegally which in-itself, is a crime [8 USC § 1182].
[18] Seized Currency.
U.S. Border Patrol, the Office of Field Operations and Border Checkpoints have seized a lot of cash, generally considered drug-related.
From FY 2012 to Aug. 31, 2018 the Border-Related Agents seized over a half-billion dollars in cash or $531,456,085 to be exact. (Source: CBP 2018 Enforcement Statistics, PDF P2.)
Unfortunately this is a tiny fraction of the estimated billions in profits gained from the drug cartels that were not caught by U.S. Border enforcement agents.
[19] Cartel Profits on Illegal Drug Use in America.
According to a 2012 report by the New York Times, cash gained by just Colombia and Mexico drug cartels ranged from $6 Billion to $39 billion a year. These profit numbers may be a conservative estimate.
According to a 2014 report by the RAND Corporation, people in the U.S. buy more than $100 Billion worth of illegal drugs each year.
So the amount of drug profits is far greater than the cost of any wall that the U.S. could ever build to make it more difficult to bring drugs over the U.S. border.
[20] Still Think It’s Not a National Emergency?
Drugs Kill More People Than Guns, Suicide, Homicide and Motor Vehicle Crashes.
Source: 2018 DEA National Drug Threat Assessment Report (Chart P9).
Since 2011, more people have died from drug poisoning than by guns or by any other injury death.
“Drug poisoning deaths are the leading cause of injury death in the United States; they are currently at their highest ever recorded level and, every year since 2011, have outnumbered deaths by firearms, motor vehicle crashes, suicide, and homicide.”
— Source: 2018 National Drug Threat Assessment (DEA Report, 164 pps, p9)
[21] Drugs Kill More Americans Than 17 Years of Wars Post 9-11 Combined
More American have been killed in a single year by drug poisoning than Americans killed in 17 years of war post 9-11 combined.
According to a Brown University Study as of November 2018, the number of U.S. military troops that have been killed in U.S. foreign wars since 9-11-2001 (17 years) is: 6,951. Adding war deaths of U.S. Contractors (7,820) and U.S. civilians (21) is 14,792.
More Americans have been killed by drugs than U.S. foreign wars in every single year since at least year 1999 (chart above). Maybe the U.S. has been spending too much time fighting the wrong war?
Some, mostly Democrats push for the legalization of drugs; to end the “War on Drugs” with the false thinking that it would reduce U.S. crime, and harm to Americans. Both of course have thus far proven false. (Princeton Study on Medical Marijuana in U.S. led to overall higher crime since legalization.)
It appears that most of the illegal drugs such as Heroin, Fentanyl, Methamphetamine and Marijuana are coming from or through Mexico and China. Meth is also coming from Asian criminal drug labs in Canada (DEA, P10-11). Ninety-three (93%) of Cocaine is still primary coming from Columbia (DEA, P41).
China reportedly produces about 16 tons of chemical drugs each month.
Fentanyl.
One of the most dangerous drugs is Fentanyl, a Schedule II drug, “has potency 50-100 times that of morphine.” It is a synthetic (man-made) opioid used medically as a pain killer.
However, it is medically used in extremely lower doses and under greater controls and regulations than what one might find in the illegal drug market.
A tiny amount (even just 2 mg) ‘a few grains of salt‘ of Fentanyl even accidentally absorbed on the skin or inhaled can kill a person who weighs up to 250 pounds (DEA photo above).
“Fentanyl is being sold as heroin in virtually every corner of our country. It’s produced clandestinely in Mexico, and (also) comes directly from China.
It is 40 to 50 times stronger than street-level heroin.
A very small amount ingested, or absorbed through your skin, can kill you.”
— Source: DEA
Fentanyl seizures have dramatically increased from Mexico into the U.S. via California (119% increase 2017 v 2016) and Arizona (254% increase 2017 v 2016)(DEA, P34).
In 2016, the largest number of U.S. deaths from the use of Heroin (20,964), Fentanyl (9,224), and other opioids (5,702) occurred in Ohio (35,890 total) (Chart below).
The above chart gives one the idea that the drugs are not being imported for sale to U.S. southern border states. The drugs are being sold all over the U.S. This further suggests why all states should have an interest in U.S. border security if they have an interest from reducing the number of drug deaths in their states.
Opioids are not the only drug problem coming through the U.S. illegally.
Cocaine Increase in America.
Drug traffickers have been bringing in more high-quality Cocaine from Columbia since 2012. The use of Cocaine in the U.S. has nearly doubled since since then.
In 2016, DEA reported there are about 1.9 million Americans ages 12 and older that have used cocaine over the past month (DEA, P44). This does not include the near five million people under medically-supervised treatment from Cocaine addiction (DEA, P45-46).
Meth Increase in America.
Methamphetamine (“Meth”) use in the United States increased 7.48% from 2015-16 (DEA, P59). The DEA has seen more drugs mixed in with other drugs such as, “various combinations of methamphetamine with fentanyl, fentanyl-related substances, heroin, and cocaine” (DEA, P61). Thus those buying illegal drugs really have no idea what they may be getting. They could be getting a lethal dose from a single use.
There are some 667,000 Americans 12 years or older who currently use Meth. Of that, some 9,000 children and teens ages 12-17 currently use Meth (DEA, P62). The number of Americans using Meth who have been killed by drug poisoning (over dosed) is up 32% from 2015 and up 387% since 2005 (DEA, P63).
It appears most of the Meth is produced in Mexico and distributed in the U.S. primary distributed by TCO’s (Transnational Criminal Organizations) aka “Mexico Drug Cartels” (DEA, P67-68).
Most of the meth coming into the U.S. from Mexico is coming through the San Diego area in California.
“The majority (54%) of methamphetamine seized along the SWB (South West Border) in CY 2017 occurred in the San Diego corridor.”
— Source: 2018 National Drug Threat Assessment (DEA Report, 164 pps, p68)
[22] Gangs.
Someone might argue, ‘I don’t use drugs, so I don’t need to be concerned about them?’
Federal law enforcement reported that gang crimes include, “assaults, threats, intimidation, robbery, large-scale drug trafficking, burglary, larceny, and weapons trafficking. Gang trafficking activity have INCREASED in the last two years (DEA, P107).
U.S. citizens can be subject to crimes against persons or their property by street gangs (DEA, P107-121), and all of this is related to converting assets to buy and sell drugs.
Even if one does not use drugs, one can still become victims of of the drug culture such as assault, burglary, larceny, robbery, etc. (DEA, P107).
More than half of the states in the USA have organized gangs. Of that, 27 states have gang-operations from Mexico operating in the USA (chart below).
[23] Still Think This is a “Manufactured Crisis?”
Some in the media, politicians and uninformed citizens are under a false impression that the above is all a ‘manufactured crisis.’
They think (or have been told to think) that there is no need for greater border security, a wall, a fence, or a barrier; whatever one wants to call it.
But the data shows the level of criminal drug trafficking has increased in recent years and Americans are paying for it financially, and some with their lives.
We’ve talked about drugs and gangs, now let’s talk about human trafficking.
[24] Human Trafficking.
Drugs cartels and other Transnational Organized Crime syndicates use people to not only transport their drugs, they also use them for forced labor.
But for the most part, these criminal organizations target woman and young girls to traffic as sex slaves for the Cartels.
[25] Trafficking in North & Central America Region.
Trafficking is a world-wide problem. As it relates to U.S. national security, most of the trafficking that comes to the U.S. are not people wanting a better job or life. Most of the trafficked people are brought to the U.S. for sexual exploitation.
The United Nations identified that in North America, 25% (twenty-five percent) of sex-trafficked victims were under-aged girls (UNODC, P73).
Human Trafficking Flows to the U.S.
Traffickers bring their victims from all over the world. 76% of trafficking happens within North America (Canada, USA and Mexico). Up to 9% of traffickers bring their victims crossing U.S. borders from outside the North American region (UNODC 2016, P75).
The United Nations also identified about eight percent of total trafficking comes from cross-border flows from Mexico to the United States (UNODC 2016, P75).
“Victims from Central America and the Caribbean accounted for some 9 per cent of the detected trafficking flows in North America in 2016. Cross-border trafficking flows within North America comprise some 8 per cent of the total, mainly referring to the flow from Mexico to the United States.”
— Source: UNODC 2016, P76
The ACLU cited U.S. State Department finding that about 14,500 to 17,500 people are trafficked to the United States each year. The study noted that this does not include those trafficked within the United States.
The report also pointed out the average trafficking victim is a migrant woman, about age 20. A Harvard University Law School report found the average age of sex trafficking is 17-19.
Trafficked victims are abused, beaten, raped, sexual abused, deprived food, shelter and sleep the ACLU report found.
“Trafficked victims are often beaten and brutalized, raped and sexually abused. Victims also frequently are deprived of adequate food, shelter and sleep…”
“Traffickers commonly subject their victims to psychological abuse through threats, deprivation and isolation. Traffickers may threaten to kill or harm victims or their family members if they do not do as they are told.”
— Source: ACLU Report on Human Trafficking: Enslavement of Immigrant Women in the United States
The U.S. gives millions of dollars in aid annually to Central American counties (CRS, p12), with the false hope that they could get control of human trafficking or other illegal migration to the U.S.
In reality, we suspect it is more likely that these corrupt Central American governments pocket most of the money and aid for themselves, and allocate some of foreign aid to keep their armies loyal to the corrupt government.
Cross Border U.S.-Mexico Sex Trafficking.
A 2016 report by Polaris Project.org said, “34% of cases it recorded of Latin American women trafficked into sex slavery in the United States since 2007 involved smuggling-related recruitment methods.”
Under the Obama Administration, and still current today, the U.S. tends to show easier acceptance for illegal alien female adults with female children or unaccompanied children seek to gain entry into the U.S.
Traffickers also seem to be keenly aware of this U.S. open border policy. It makes human trafficking much easier for the Cartels when Congress and some in the media play on emotional strings of poor ‘women and children.’
In 2018 alone, the U.S. lost track of some 1,500 illegal alien minors. Another report says that number is closer to 6,000. The New York Times cited false information from HHS that “in all cases (‘hosts’) have been vetted for criminality and ability to provide for them.”
That is completely false. We have extensively covered the growing costs of U.S. welfare for illegal aliens and that includes alien children. These migrants did not come to the U.S. with their Visa® debit card, or a suitcase full of cash. It’s U.S. taxpayers are doing much or most of the “providing.”
Many also falsely claim to place these children with ‘families’ already in the U.S.
What HHS or the NY Times does not seem to realize is traffickers use U.S. citizens who have clean backgrounds to further their trafficking efforts. HHS does not provide periodic followup checks on the millions of illegal immigrant children or their hosts.
I can tell you that I am very familiar, with prior agency experience of pre-screening for the criminal background check process. There are gaping holes in the system when it comes to vetting foreign nationals.
If you are a non-U.S. citizen living in the USA, have not broken any other major laws (aside from coming to the U.S. illegally), there is no U.S. database to background check, because the U.S. does not have access to every foreign citizen criminal or other records.
Recall that ALL of the 9-11 (2001) hijackers came to the U.S. illegally, except one got a student visa.
This is not to say that all illegal aliens are would-be terrorists, but some have been, and it doesn’t take but one or a few to cause mass causalities.
The U.S. not only needs tighter illegal immigration controls, it needs a better screening process with follow up investigative checks on aliens pending immigration or asylum hearing.
[26] U.S. Being Played by Human Traffickers Already in the U.S.
The U.S. is being played by modern slave owners (traffickers) sending women and children, or just unaccompanied children to the U.S. to gain entry. Once in the U.S., many migrants are not free. They have “sponsors” who many are not relatives (legally or illegally) living in the U.S. Many are the traffickers in the U.S. just waiting to put their victims to work.
From 2012-2018, the U.S. Office of Refugee Settlement (ORR) and the U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) (also known as “co-traffickers”) referred 278,595 minor unaccompanied children who came to the U.S. border (illegally) are now living in the USA with “sponsors.”
The reason why we called ORR and HHS as “co-traffickers” is because they are. We called out the Obama Administration in 2014 offering what we called ‘child trafficking jobs‘ on the U.S. government’s website. The Obama Admin was seeking ANYONE who could transport UAC’s (unaccompanied minor children “infant to 17 years old“) to various known and unknown locations throughout the U.S.
Of the minor children who managed to walk or bus to the U.S. all by themselves came from Guatemala (54%); El Salvador (12%); Honduras (26%); and other (8%) (2018 ‘Fact Sheet’).
From 2009 to 2013 alone, the Obama Admin budget spent $747.4 Billion on NASA including Transportation and Education; but spent $3.7 Trillion on welfare. [Our Report, Point 7]. So it’s not like Congresses doesn’t have the money for better border security.
[27] U.S. Gov is Part of the Trafficking Problem.
We found and reported on a 2013 child trafficking case, who had prior trafficking conviction and a prior conviction for food-stamp fraud in the U.S. The trafficker was also an illegal alien.
A Texas U.S. District Judge chastised the Obama Admin’s DHS for ignoring existing immigration law and for supporting human trafficking in the U.S.
“The DHS has simply chosen not to enforce the United States border security laws…These actions are both dangerous and unconscionable.”
“… these illegal activities help fund the illegal drug cartels which are a real danger for both citizens of this country and Mexico.”
“This Court has seen instances where aliens being smuggled were assaulted, raped, kidnapped/ and or killed.”
“…(there is) no excuse for Government to continue the criminal activity of the trafficking conspiracy.”
— Hon. Andrew S. Hansen, United States District Judge said in his Order
[28] Number of Illegal Alien Apprehensions Up, Not Down from 2018.
Some have argued that illegal immigration has decreased to America. Over 2.5 Million people were apprehended from 2014-2018 alone.
CBP has apprehended 2,746,298 illegal aliens (inadmissibles) from FY 2014 to Jan 2019. This included 20,123 UAC’s from Oct. 2018 to Jan. 2019 and 99,901 ‘Family Units’ from the same four-month period. Just in January 2019, US Border Patrol apprehended an average of 1,877 people per day. There are no statistics of how many people made it through U.S. border undetected. (Chart: CBP.gov) https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/stats/sw-border-migration
UPDATE: U.S. Border apprehensions of illegal aliens have skyrocketed since our last report (chart above).
Notice the red line (chart below) showing the sharp increase in illegal alien apprehensions. What we don’t know is how many made it in and not caught.
The number of alleged “family units” have also skyrocketed from 2018 to 2019. Chart below:
[29] Gaming the System.
The reason why family units have skyrocketed is because traffickers and foreign nationals are gaming the U.S. immigration system.
They know that they can just come to the U.S. and some politically-driven regional (open borders) judges are making Congressional Legislative and Executive Branch authority over U. S. National Security and Immigration policies.
The U.S. needs to take more aggressive action and avoid what could be a massive flood gate of millions more aliens showing up at the U.S. border with judges granting temporary stays.
If one never shows up for the hearing, no one knows where the illegal aliens are in the U.S.
This looks a lot like De-facto AMNESTY.
[30] Political Media Misrepresents Typical Alien Border Crosser.
Some in the media driven by political motivations like to show images and video of mostly women, children and a man with a child (images: 1, 2, 3) as that’s who is crossing the US. Border. They fail to mention that many are also being trafficked and misrepresent the gender who is coming to the U.S. illegally.
From 2012 to 2018 most of the young people coming to the U.S. (illegally) are male (71% male vs 29% female in 2018) and this has been relatively constant since 2012.
[31] Other Data.
Again, there is a ton of data out there on this and we haven’t gone into the heath concerns (diseases) brought to the U.S.; millions of Visa overstays, the move to subvert U.S. law and permit illegals to vote in U.S. elections which is illegal (18 USC § 611, 8 USC § 1227 (6)); foreign student visa program (both abuse, and those attending school, get job then never leave US after completed school as normally required). Then one other topic of illegal immigration concern; we’ll at least for some Americans – terrorism risk.
- Saudi citizen in Oklahoma pleads guilty to visa fraud; concealed attendance at al Qaeda training camp.
- ISIS Member Arrested in Sacramento, California on Murder Charge. (Court Docs).
- 100 ISIS Terrorists Caught in Guatemala.
- FBI Stops ISIS-Inspired Honduran Immigrant From Bomb Attack On Miami, FL. Mall.
- Arizona Atty. Gen. Finds Money Trail Between Middle East, Mexican Smugglers.
- How Militant Islamic Terrorists Entered and Remained in the United States, 1993-2001.
This is not to say that the U.S. should end immigration policies; only to enforce and better manage existing policies. The U.S. needs to create structures to slow down the criminal enterprises who are taking advantage of Washington DC’s political weakness.
The U.S. simply does not have the economic resources to pay its existing bills, let alone permitting millions of others to be dependent on U.S. taxpayers.
[32] Congress Ignoring the Problem.
The U.S. border is clearly being overrun and Congress has no will to address it.
Instead, the Democratic-controlled House, many in the media including the New York Times have regained their old obsession about Trump’s tax returns.
Republican leadership in the Senate is doing anything but addressing the issue.
Democrats in the Senate just introduced a bill to secure voting rights for felons. That way when criminal aliens are captured, tried, found guilty and sent to prison, they can still vote?
[33] Are Walls Really Immoral?
Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, walls are immoral.
Has anyone ever seen a wall that did something immoral? Technically speaking, inanimate objects don’t have thoughts or feelings; so the argument is invalid. It is just a talking point for those who want open borders: ie: Those who support drugs, crime, gangs, sex trafficking, and bankrupting Americans.
The use of walls and other barriers are not new.
One of the things they do is to help reduce crossings at foreign borders and defines a country’s sovereign territory.
Walls and fences are used in every well populated city, on private property, in “gated communities,” etc. Their purpose is to try and create some barrier of protection for those who live in the community from those who may enter their property unlawfully.
[34] For the Open Borders Crowd.
For those who don’t believe in border walls or other barriers, and think we should just have open borders; welcome anyone in who wants to come in, please do the following:
- Remove the hinges off your front and back door.
- Now remove your exterior doors.
- Take down any fencing, trees or brush that creates any kind of natural or human-made barriers that could slow someone from entering your dwelling.
- If you own a firearm, please turn it into the police, because you don’t believe in self or home protection anyway.
- If you want, you can set up “technology,” such as cameras to alert you when you are sleeping that someone has entered your dwelling (illegally).
If you think these are bad ideas, and don’t want to do them, that means you are for having walls, barriers and security.
[35] Who Else in the World Have Walls, Fences and Tighter Border Security?
Some 65 countries around the world are building or have existing border walls, fences, or other barriers. There are more than four times the number of countries since the fall of the Berlin Wall who have erected physical border barriers. The Berlin Wall was built by the Communists to prevent people from fleeing then East Germany.
Since then, today’s border walls, fences and other barriers are designed to curb illegal migration to local countries.
Here are some examples of border security around the world.
[36] Summary.
Trump’s use of the National Emergency Declaration was an act of Congress in 1976. States have filed lawsuits but we believe based on recent case law and Constitutional law they will have no legal authority to block immigration policies.
Only Congress or the U.S. Supreme Court has the final say to rein in a President’s power. The House passed resolution to block Trump from acting in any manner to increase border security. Even if the Senate block Trump, Congress needs a 2/3rds majority to override a Presidential Veto.
Congress, including major Democrat leaders have initialed, supported multiple times for the construction of border barriers and border security until Trump was for it. Now Democrats are against anything Trump wants to do to better America.
Border barriers, even crude one have worked to reduce illegal immigration into the U.S.
The U.S. has spent Trillions of dollars defending borders of foreign countries, but Democrats and some Republicans refuse to defend America’s own borders.
There have been 59 declared National Emergencies since 1976 including blocking people, property, and even diamonds from getting into the U.S.
The cost of illegal immigration to U.S. taxpayers now exceeds $135 Billion per year. Some 20% of illegal aliens occupy U.S. prisons for serious crimes.
U.S. Border Agents have seized over a half-billion dollars in cash over a six year period through Aug. 2018. American purchase over $100 Billion of illegal drugs each year. Drug carts make upwards of tens-of-billions of dollars each year.
Drugs kill more people that by any other injury death, including guns, suicide, murder or motor vehicle crashes. Drugs are on the rise in America including Heroin, Cocaine, Methamphetamine and the most dangerous drugs, Fentanyl. Just a few grains can kill a person weighing up to 250 lbs.
Gangs, most all from Mexico control most of the streets and drugs in the U.S.
Next, Human trafficking is another problem of illegal immigration where mostly young women are targeted for sex trafficking right in the USA.
One should know who is entering the U.S. and for what purpose. The U.S. has a generous immigration system, but is being taken advantage over because of weak politicians.
Some 65 countries have border walls, fences or other barriers and no one has called them racists or immoral for protecting their borders.
. . .
UPDATES:
July 4, 2019: A three-judge panel from the California 9th Circuit Court blocked Trump from using excess Pentagon funds for border wall construction.
July 26, 2019: The U.S. Supreme Court overruled the 9th Circuit Court stating Trump can use said Pentagon funds for border security/ new border wall construction.
Democrats called Trump legally diverting Pentagon funds for national security purposes as ‘stealing funds‘ and labeled the U.S. Supreme Court ruling as a “sad day.”
Images/graphic credits where known and credited. Please advise for uncredited images.
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