By Illinois Review
The situation on the southern border is getting worse as migrants continue to arrive in Illinois – a sanctuary state, as buses drop off unidentified men, women and children in communities and cities throughout the northern part of the state as the crisis continues to spin out of control.
It’s estimated that over 35,000 migrants have arrived in Illinois in the last year, costing the state more than $500 million – with 25 buses arriving each day dropping off an average of 1,250 migrants around the city and various surrounding communities.
As conflicts intensify in the Middle East, the crisis on the southern border is raising legitimate national security concerns – and U.S. Customs and Border Protection are reporting that nearly 200 individuals on the FBI’s terror watch list have been caught trying to cross into the United States illegally in 2023 – representing an all time high along the southern border as Democratic politicians in Illinois scramble to address the migrant crisis now plaguing the state.
National security experts on both sides of the aisle acknowledge the safety concerns with so many crossing into the country illegally – and the problems this creates for local communities that are trying to keep their residents safe. Experts also highlight the dangers to both women and children on the southern border who are being abused and used as pawns by the drug cartels. And it’s also been reported that women are raped while trying to cross into the U.S., and that children are being trafficked – as cases skyrocket and the situation spins out of control.
And it’s been reported that Chicago – a sanctuary city – has seen an 11,000 percent increase in arrests of Venezuelan migrants since President Joe Biden opened up our southern border.
Back in December, a plane carrying 350 migrants landed at Rockford International Airport, and they were immediately loaded onto buses and shipped out of town. But the dangers that this creates for Illinois residents is real – and cell phone videos of migrants arriving in the Chicagoland suburbs capture men wearing ankle monitors – proving the dangers their presence creates.
President Joe Biden’s Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was impeached in the U.S. House of Representatives in February over his failure to secure the southern border and protect women and children from dangerous cartels patrolling our border. As U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La, said in a statement,
“From his first day in office, Secretary Mayorkas has willfully and consistently refused to comply with federal immigration laws, fueling the worst border catastrophe in American history. He has undermined public trust through multiple false statements to Congress, obstructed lawful oversight of the Department of Homeland Security, and violated his oath of office.”
Democrat U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen, IL-17 continues to stand by Mayorkas, even voting against his impeachment in the House, calling the action a “distraction.”
“My neighbors sent me to Congress to solve problems. We need to pass a bipartisan bill to secure the border. That is why I am working to pass the DIGNITY Act, the only bipartisan, comprehensive border and immigration reform bill that exists in the House. The effort to impeach Secretary Mayorkas is a distraction from solving the real problem. I will continue to work with anyone, Democrat or Republican, that is willing to work together to secure the border and fix our broken immigration system.”
Although his Republican colleagues in Congress and his constituents in the district beg to differ, and would not call this issue that’s endangering women, children and local communities a “distraction,” but rather a full-fledged national security and humanitarian crisis.
Both Republicans and Democrats have been debating about immigration reform for decades – long before the freshman Member of Congress entered the scene – and yet, we still have a southern border crisis that’s engulfing the nation. And for Rep. Sorensen to arrogantly say that he’s going to be part of the solution that’s going to solve this crisis once and for all as one of the newest members in an institution that’s debated this issue for decades is laughable.
It’s much easier to talk about fixing our broken immigration problem or signing onto legislation as a co-sponsor than actually making the hard decision like voting to impeach Secretary Mayorkas. And while Rep. Sorensen and his Democratic colleagues spend their days in the golden corridors of power in Washington, the real people who remain in the communities day after day, want to see some change at the top – and that starts with removing Secretary Mayorkas.
Sorensen has yet to visit the southern border – a surprise to many considering the importance of the issue. His Republican opponent Joseph McGraw, a former judge, made a trip to the southern border late last year, saying what he witnessed was “horrifying.”
Rep. Sorensen faces McGraw in the November election and the border crisis is expected to be a major issue during the campaign.
