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Democrats and Republicans have been sparring over immigration for decades. The man-made disaster our president and his accomplices at the Department of Homeland Security have created at the southern border has reached a point of politicizing, mishandling and deceit that should have Americans outraged. 

It has been 700 days since President Joe Biden took office and as a direct result of his lax border policies, we now reap one of the largest humanitarian and national security crises our nation has ever seen.  

Is the idea of a country protecting its sovereignty such an obscure concept for our president and progressive elected officials? 

ARIZONA BORDER HOSPITAL STUCK WITH $20M BILL FROM TREATING MIGRANTS: 'IT'S UNSUSTAINABLE'

It shouldn’t be, Mr. President. You took an oath to protect the citizens of the shining city on a hill, but all Americans are getting is a total abdication of your responsibility to secure our border as commander-in-chief. 

El Paso border crossing

Migrants stand across the Rio Grande from El Paso, Texas. Thousands of migrants have illegally crossed into the city in recent days, prompting concerns from city officials. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott wants  nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) investigated over their role is assisting migrants to illegally cross the border. (Border Patrol)

The truth is for far too long, immigration has been the exploiting political wedge issue that Democrats dangle in front of voters every election cycle. If the Democrats truly wanted immigration reform, it would be done already. 

Don’t believe me? This is the second Democrat president in a row to have the White House and a majority in the U.S. Senate and House, and not pass immigration reform. Obama pushed immigration aside for healthcare, and Biden chose progressive social issues and the Build Back Broke plan to supersede the disaster at the border.  

Any rational person can see the danger flooding our country. The likes of MSNBC, CNN and the New York Times will not report the truth because it simply doesn’t help the Democrat’s cause.  

On immigration, though, the left stands to lose as the "welcoming" or "humane" party. Encounters at the southern border have spiked to over 2.3 million migrants in 2022, up from 458,000 in 2020. That is an increase of 1.9 million migrants in under two years – larger than the entire city of Dallas, Texas to put things into perspective. Ninety-eight migrants that made it onto American soil are on the terrorist watch list, this doesn’t include the ones who got away. And they sweep under the rug the historic number of migrant deaths, death by suicide among border patrol agents and American deaths due to fentanyl.  

It truly seems as if nothing will ever get done, especially since the days of effective border security "conversations" are a thing of the past. I saw it firsthand. 

Under President George W. Bush, we built coalitions around immigration policy. I marveled at the diverse leaders on the right and left working together toward a real solution. Janet Murguia of La Raza was at the table with Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform, among dozens from every industry. That would never happen today.  

When President Donald Trump offered DACA for border security (five times), groups on the left wouldn’t show up to negotiate. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made a calculated decision to deny Trump a win on DACA and rejected a clean proposal that would have allowed 1.8 million Dreamers a pathway, while securing our border. 

The fact is Biden has the tools at his disposal to reverse his mistakes at the border, but politics overrules good governance. Every border expert is recommending returning to mitigation protection protocols such as "Remain in Mexico," Title 42, enforcing consequences for breaking the law and asylum agreements with specific countries. But that would mean using policies used by Trump and that’s not allowed. 

Any rational person can see the danger flooding our country. The likes of MSNBC, CNN and the New York Times will not report the truth because it simply doesn’t help the Democrat’s cause.  

So, the gamble to use this as a political wedge is backfiring. A Rasmussen Reports and NumbersUSA poll finds 57% of likely U.S. voters feel the government is already doing too little to reduce illegal border crossings and visitor overstays. It also found that more than half of Latinos who voted in the 2022 midterms agree the government is not doing enough to reduce illegal immigration. 49% of Democrat Hispanic voters agreed. 

The current vulnerability among Latinos has to do largely with immigration. Voters shifting toward the GOP understand the border looms as an unprecedented national crisis in the hands of Democrats. 

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In a few weeks, Republicans will take control of the House and we need leaders on the side of security putting forth an agenda for real border solutions, working with the Border Patrol and local governments on enforcement tactics and much more.  

We need actual leadership, not a legislative overhaul. 

President Joe Biden

President Joe Biden speaks during an event at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Del. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File) (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

The president has broken campaign promises, fibbed about what’s actually going on at the southern border and disgraced our U.S. immigration officers. Heck, he has even said he has "more important things to do." 

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Americans are on to you, Mr. President. The issue of border security is a soft underbelly for the left, and you need to come to the realization that it is costing much more than taxpayer money, it is costing actual lives.  

As for voters, it is time to make your voices truly heard. Judge a president by his actions, not his words; we have an obligation to hold him accountable.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM JENNIFER SEVILLA-KORN