Dakota Beacon

Illegal immigration. This old topic drags on with no end in sight. The Passing Scene has touched on this subject over the years.

Since taking office, Biden halted construction of the border wall, reinstated Obama-era protections for illegals, and ended Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy. This he promised during his “basement campaign.” And people voted for him. Results of Biden’s rollback of Trump-era policies plus the non-enforcement of existing immigration laws were entirely predictable. An open border lured hundreds of thousands of illegals. And they came – 10.5 million of them – with help. Someone discovered a very lucrative business transiting people into the US from any country in the world -- illegally. That “someone” would be the Mexican cartels.

As a business entity, a cartel may be defined as an association of independent firms or individuals using authoritarian tactics for the sale of a commodity. Arrangements are made to partition markets.

Mexican cartels are the players controlling the US-Mexico border. Make no mistake. The cartels indeed control the US-Mexico border – not the US Department of Homeland Security. Mexican cartels including the Sinaloa, Juarez, Tijuana, and Beltran-Leyva Cartels run the show. Conservative estimates of combined cartel membership start at 175,000 (+). Between 2006 and 2010 an estimated 12,456 cartel members were killed by the Mexican government, roughly 121,199 were detained, and 8,500 convicted. On the flip side, an estimated 350,000 – 400,000 homicides were committed by cartels during the period 2006-2021. Cartels have no problem recruiting replacements.

Cartels have always marketed drugs. Marketing human beings recently became less risky and far more profitable. These criminal organizations understood that they could double the massive profits from drug smuggling by trafficking human beings. Both commodities are handled as business transactions balancing profits against losses. For all intents and purposes, Biden effectively colluded with these barbaric people in return for a possible increase in Democrat voters.

Sanctuary cities especially stand to gain from the migrant influx. Democrat mayors have criticized the Biden administration for the flood of migrants pouring into their cities. But they aren’t upset about the open border nor are they pressuring the White House to do anything to stop the invasion. Instead, they see dollar signs in the form of federal funding. They have used the influx of migrants as their next big grift demanding billions of taxpayer dollars to care for the migrants.

Anyone may avail themselves of cartel services if they can pay the asking price. Cartels easily deal with Islamic terrorist groups funded by Iran for whom money poses no problem. Our US southern boarder remains wide open and terrorists colluding with cartels are guaranteed safe passage as foot soldiers intending harm to America.

Nearly one million people in the US have died of drug overdoses in the past two decades with a growing number of those deaths involving synthetic fentanyl, a drug 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. Synthesized drugs like fentanyl are cheaper both for producers and consumers.

Chemicals used to make fentanyl are almost entirely sold to Mexican drug cartels by China’s Triads. The cartels then package the fentanyl blending it with other drugs like Xanax and Adderall. Legitimate drugs laced with fentanyl are then moved into the U.S. to be sold on the black market. Most Americans who die of a fentanyl-related overdose aren’t even aware they are consuming it.

Obviously, cartels run profitable businesses. But the Biden administration would understand neither profit nor business – except for Joe’s son Hunter and his business dealings. For all intents and purposes, the Biden administration’s Open Border policy advances the profitability of the cartels.

Centers for Disease Control raises another aspect of illegal immigration. Contagious diseases the US had under control for decades have reappeared brought to us by illegal immigrants. There has been a significant uptick in the number of cases of communicable diseases including TB, syphilis, gonorrhea, leprosy, and a changing list of threats such as polio, cholera, diphtheria, smallpox, or severe acute respiratory syndromes. Illegal immigrants crossing into the US could bring any of these threats. Southern Texas Border Patrol agents: "What's coming over into the US could harm everyone. We are starting to see scabies, chicken pox, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections, and different viruses."

The only thing new about the invasion of illegal immigrants are the vastly increased numbers flowing into the United States unimpeded with no end in sight. In total, there were more than 3.2 million illegal border crossings in FY2023 alone. And of course, that number only accounts for those who were apprehended. Some estimates run as high as 5 million “gotaways” since Joe Biden took office. That number includes untold numbers of terrorists, drug dealers, and human traffickers.

Dennis M. Patrick can be contacted at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).