John Curtis: Lessons from the border

I recently had the opportunity to visit the southern border for the third time. The situation has always been challenging but this time was much worse. I saw firsthand how policy decisions by this Biden administration have allowed our border to spiral into a full blown crisis. It is clear we don’t have control of our border — the cartels do.

I learned that human trafficking is rampant, with the cartel often paying teenagers in local towns to smuggle individuals to other states. I saw lookout towers where cartel members monitored us as we visited the partly constructed wall. The Border Patrol explained that the cartel knows exactly how many people will be on duty at a given time so that they can then flood processing facilities with asylum claims and move deadly fentanyl across the unmonitored border. In Utah, we saw fentanyl deaths spike 325% over four years and the cartel set up shop in St. George to facilitate its distribution.

Utahns pride themselves on being compassionate and caring people. We believe in the American dream and welcoming those who share our values. The most painful part of this trip was seeing individuals seeking the American dream only to fall prey to the cartel’s control who set the migrants up with illegal jobs, take their wages and threaten them if they try to escape.

The border wall itself was surprisingly symbolic. We saw three distinct illustrations of how the last administrations view its importance. The Obama administration’s wall was about 20-feet high and stretched for miles along the border. President Trump’s wall also extended for miles and added 10 additional feet. Lastly, under Biden, the wall just stopped. No barriers. No construction. Only dirt and sagebrush. During my conversations in Arizona, I met Americans who were more concerned about finding solutions than playing politics. They shared stories of how reversing policies like “Remain in Mexico” have exacerbated the situation. During President Biden’s term, border encounters have ballooned to a record 249,735 just last month. With migrants potentially waiting a decade for asylum court dates, the current system incentivizes illegal border crossings.

I regret that President Biden created a system that rewards illegal border crossings and funds the cartels in the process. The local law enforcement told us they’ve seen the cartels reduce the resources going into drug trafficking because human trafficking has become so much easier and profitable under President Biden.

I don’t see how anyone can look at what is happening and not recognize this is a crisis. It is a national security crisis, it is a humanitarian crisis and it is a public health crisis.

Two things can be true: President Biden could take unilateral action to secure the border, including reinstating “Remain in Mexico” and using powers in the Immigration and Nationality Act to restrict entry. Additionally, Congress can provide resources to the border patrol, reform our asylum process and end catch and release.

In Congress I voted for legislation that would hold Biden accountable, including the Secure the Border Act. This comprehensive bill from House Republicans would secure the border and reform our system to prevent a similar crisis under a future president. In my view, having the president and Congress act simultaneously will make a huge difference to end this crisis immediately. I have also been impressed by the leadership of many governors in light of federal failure. This is why I introduced the Border Security State Reimbursement Act, a bill to reimburse states for expenses related with securing the U.S. border. Shortly after my legislation was introduced I was pleased to see Utah’s governor join the chorus of other states supporting Texas in this effort.

I will continue to work hard to hold President Biden and his administration accountable for their disastrous border policies. This issue is not just critical to the security of our nation, it prevents criminal and drug activity from hurting everyday Utahns. I will continue to support efforts that hire more agents and arm them with the latest technology to stop the cartels’ deadly flow of fentanyl and illegal immigrants into our country and secure our border in a way that represents Utah’s values.

John Curtis represents Utah’s 3rd Congressional District. Curtis is a candidate for the 2024 U.S. Senate race.