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The inhumanity at the border is all on Biden; the cost is all on us

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Migrants breaking through a Guatemalan border checkpoint about a month ago. (Youtube/The Hill)

Human hardship resulting from immigration should not be a political football. After Biden's election, caravans of migrants formed in Central America. People are on video stating they are coming to the U.S. because Biden invited them. People are now arriving at the U.S. border with T-shirts printed with "Biden. Please Let me in". I wonder who purchased and distributed those T-shirts.

The previously reported "cages" (renamed Migrant Holding Facilities by the Biden Administration) for children are nearly at capacity.

Two major tolls are associated with our current immigration policies. The first is the human toll paid by those who risk the hardships of the perilous journey to the U.S. border. The second is the financial toll paid by the migrants to Coyotes and Cartels, the countries through which the migrants pass, and the U.S. taxpayer.

Word of Caution: If you are a snowflake, read no further. If a person has not complied with U.S. immigration laws upon entering this country, that person has entered this country illegally thereby making him/her an illegal immigrant. It is no different from a person who robs a bank--he or she is bank robber. If that offends you, I am not sorry.

The human toll must be measured against a standard of humane conditions and risks along the nearly 2,000-mile journey. Along the way, the adults and children have no medical care while they risk death, assaults, robberies, sex trafficking (along the trek as well as after arriving in our country), abduction by criminal gangs for ransom, extortion, ill treatment by foreign police, and 6 out of 10 migrant women and girls are raped. One can find numerous videos on YouTube detailing the horrific experiences of adults and children en route to the U.S. border.

The human toll includes the price paid by the U.S. Border Patrol and ICE agents who are subjected to violent Cartels and Coyotes. They must deal with exposure to Covid-19 and other potentially contagious diseases while protecting American citizens and providing comfort and care to the illegal migrants.

The human toll also includes the drugs manufactured in Mexico, mixed with fentanyl, which was purchased from China, and subsequently sold illegally to Americans.

While a person entering this country LEGALLY and BY AIR is MANDATED to meet COVID-19 criteria, an illegal immigrant may simply walk across the border and be released potentially creating a super spreader event. "For citizens and non-citizens alike, the U.S. has strict COVID-19 policies for those entering the United States legally via air travel. As of February 18, the Biden administration mandated all air passengers coming to the United States, including U.S. citizens, are required to have a negative COVID-19 test result or documentation of recovery from COVID-19 before they can board a flight to the United States." (Biden Administration Risks Greater COVID-19 Spread with Reckless Illegal Immigration Policies, Kelsey Bolar, March 3, 2021, Independent Women Website)

Illegal immigrants are given a date upon which to appear in court--often years away. It has been documented that most do not appear--they simply disappear into our country.

President Trump stated that illegal immigration costs the U.S. more than $2 Billion a year. Other sources also estimate the cost be more than $2 Billion a year but possibly a bit less than Trump's estimate. The exact dollar amount is not of importance because anyone with a brain knows that there most assuredly is a huge financial cost to the American taxpayer. The only point of contention is how that cost is calculated.

The exact number of undocumented illegal immigrants in this country is unknown. While not all federal welfare programs are available to illegal immigrants, those that are include the cost of maintaining the border patrol, testing for communicable diseases, public education, emergency health care, and the WIC program. Some of these costs are offset by state and local governments taking in funds from undocumented illegal immigrants who secure jobs. It is, however, impossible to calculate the true financial cost to the American taxpayer.

Under these circumstances how can anyone support the Biden immigration policy which promotes such inhumane treatment of poor people seeking a better life, sex trafficking, illegal drugs coming into the country causing drug overdoses and deaths, and criminal violence perpetrated by some illegal migrants?

The factors above are but a few of the most obvious costs of illegal immigration into this country. The ones most benefiting from the current immigration policy are Coyotes and Cartels. As a land of immigrants, we must treat all immigrants ethically, morally, and with kindness and compassion.

Cheryl Russell is a former high school teacher and 30-year employee with the U.S. Department of the Treasury who writes op-ed pieces for The Rochester Voice. She lives in Dover.

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