Staff Reports
Republicans are expressing increasing frustration with President Biden’s handling of the border crisis and the accompanying surge in crime rates. Critics argue that the current administration's lenient approach to illegal immigration is failing, leaving Americans vulnerable to crimes committed by migrants. This is not merely political rhetoric; the tragic murders and violent incidents are impossible to ignore, with grim headlines highlighting the issue.
One high-profile case was the murder of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, which even President Biden mentioned during his State of the Union address. Recently, Oklahoma police arrested a Venezuelan illegal immigrant suspected of brutally killing Rachel Morin, a mother of five, in Maryland last summer. Media outlets are filled with reports of attacks on New York police and heinous sexual crimes against women and children in Texas and Iowa.
READ "Migrant crime grows as campaign issue — but is there an actual spike?' on SmartNews: https://t.co/UydXmBpHWn
— Michelle Crandell (@michellerene62) June 26, 2024
Democrats often dismiss concerns about migrant crime as fearmongering. However, former President Trump has repeatedly warned that foreign countries are sending their criminals to the United States. Republicans in Congress are actively drafting legislation to address this growing issue. Right-leaning immigration groups and some law enforcement officials insist that crime rates are climbing, even if comprehensive statistics are elusive.
Data from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) highlights a surge in the number of criminal aliens apprehended at the southern border. As border crossings hit record highs, arrests of individuals with criminal convictions have significantly increased, rising from 10,800 in fiscal year 2021 to nearly 15,300 in 2023. The tally for 2024 already stands at a concerning 13,100.
Biden’s decision to roll back Trump-era immigration policies is seen by critics as a catastrophic misstep. Sanctuary cities, which protect illegal immigrants, complicate efforts to accurately gauge the true extent of crime committed by undocumented individuals. Cases like those of Kate Steinle and Molly Tibbetts were once exceptions but are becoming more common under Biden’s administration. With media and liberal think tanks slow to acknowledge the issue, a new website has been launched to track migrant crime in real time, providing the public with the information they need to advocate for change.
