Bernie Moreno on Biden's 'Open Border' Policy and Migrant Deaths

Border Encounters and Migrant Deaths

• 📉 A 93% drop in border encounters is acknowledged, but the administration is aware of approximately 4,000 migrant deaths during the Biden-Harris administration.
• ⚠️ The journey, particularly through the Darién Gap, is described as dangerous, with a significant increase in people attempting it.

Beneficiaries and Victims of Open Borders

• 💰 The drug cartels are identified as major beneficiaries, making tens of billions of dollars.
• 🇺🇸 American citizens are presented as victims, alongside migrants who believed they could enter without consequences.
• 🤝 Cartels have evolved into human traffickers at scale, using this as a cover for illegal fentanyl smuggling.

Ramifications of Fentanyl Smuggling

• 💔 The influx of fentanyl has had devastating consequences, leading to tens of thousands of American deaths.
• 📈 While fentanyl trafficking is down 54% under the current administration due to law enforcement, cartels are becoming more sophisticated and moving to maritime borders.

Challenges of Deportation and Self-Deportation

• 🛂 It is now easier to enter the U.S. than to be deported, with millions of people entering under an administration perceived as facilitating an invasion.
• criminal elements, including murderers, rapists, traffickers, and terrorists, are among those entering.
• 💰 Deporting an individual can cost up to $17,000, leading to encouragement of self-deportation at a cost of $4,500 per person.

Legal Immigration and Asylum Claims

• ⚖️ The importance of honoring those who followed the legal immigration process is emphasized, contrasting it with the current situation.
• 🚩 The current system is described as allowing individuals to claim asylum at undesignated ports of entry, leading to immediate entry into the country, free housing, healthcare, and education.
• 🚫 The speaker introduced the RULES Act, which would have required asylum claims only at designated ports of entry and immediate return for those crossing illegally, but it was blocked by Democrats.
• 💬 The term 'asylum seekers' is challenged, with the speaker arguing they are primarily economic migrants and that their claims are delaying legitimate asylum cases.