The Biden regime’s attempt to tackle illegal immigration by sending $4.2 billion in aid to Central American countries is a misguided and inefficient plan that fails to address the underlying issues of illegal immigration. Rather than providing short-term solutions such as workforce development programs or clean energy infrastructure, the administration has overlooked the true drivers of illegal immigration, including political instability, organized crime, and lack of economic opportunity.
The funds allocated through the Central America Forward framework are not being used to offer lasting financial security for those seeking asylum and refuge from their home nations. UASID and the Central America Service Corps are offering young people paid community service opportunities instead of long-term job prospects and economic stability. This lack of commitment towards more comprehensive solutions is a disservice to those who are struggling due to poverty and violence in their home countries.
Furthermore, these government funds could be better utilized for initiatives such as creating safe pathways for refugees, increasing access to educational resources, or strengthening efforts against organized crime. These measures could be complemented by increased diplomatic efforts in Central American countries in order to ensure greater regional stability and lasting security for citizens of all socioeconomic backgrounds. Such steps would require a greater sense of urgency from both sides of the aisle if they are ever going to move beyond mere token gestures towards addressing illegal immigration.
This lack of real action has been reflected in recent immigration data from The Federation for American Immigration Reform, 5.5 million migrants have crossed into the United States under the Biden administration, while 113 known or suspected terrorists have crossed in fiscal year 2021 and 2022 alone.
To make matters worse, migrant deaths surpassed 856 in fiscal year 2022, marking it as one of deadliest periods on record. In short, these investments do nothing to stop those who attempt to cross over into the United States illegally. Instead, they only send a message that there are incentives for doing so, ultimately leading to more migrants attempting dangerous crossings across our borders.
Rather than wasting billions of taxpayer dollars sending money abroad with little guarantee of success, we should focus on reforming our own immigration system here at home. Empowering officers to enforce already existing federal law can help prevent resolve this problem in a hurry.
More resources need to be devoted towards humanitarian aid within our own country. Inflation has reached unprecedented levels this past year alone with food prices increasing 9.1%, meat prices rising 11.7% and dairy prices rising 13.5%. By investing more heavily in local aid efforts rather than abroad initiatives with no tangible results, we can begin to alleviate issues related to illegal immigration while providing much needed support domestically.