Editor’s note: (John Gabriel is Ricochet.coma conservative podcast forum, and he is an opinion contributor for the Republic of Arizona. Follow him on Twitter. @exionThe views expressed here are his own.read more opinions on CNN.)
(CNN) The House Judiciary Committee held hearings last week about 2,500 miles southwest of the Capitol. Moreover, if he had been five miles away, the Commission could have seen all the gaps in the unfinished border wall.
Texas cities like El Paso and Del Rio get media attention when people discuss the immigration crisis. But Yuma, Arizona, just five miles from Mexico, suffers from a similarly porous border. Community social, medical and law enforcement services breaking pointaccording to some GOP members of the Judicial Commission.
Washington finally found out. Finally.
House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, a Republican from Ohio, said: call a local hearing In the southwestern corner of Arizona on Thursday, it highlights the damage done to the area.
“What we’re hearing from people here in Yuma is how overwhelmed the school system, the hospital system, first responders, law enforcement,[and]border agents.” Jordan told Fox News’ Sean Hannity“The price is the burden here on the border and on people beyond the border, and perhaps most importantly, it comes across the border.”
From dusty desert towns to New England vacation spots, despite protests from citizens and politicians of both parties, There are no Democrats on the Judiciary Committee I attended an event. (House Democrats they were not consulted At the hearing, many Democrats had already promised trips for other congressional delegations.
Before standing room only crowd Yuma County Sheriff Leon N. Wilmot U.S. Border Patrol concerns in his county About 40 per day Two years ago, after President Joe Biden took office, we ended up with over 1,000 cases per day.
The official numbers tell the bigger story. December 2020 40,565 people arrested Along the border, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. That number more than quadrupled to 179,253 in December for fiscal 2022, according to the agency. And those are just arrested immigrants.
The cause is clear. Biden’s policy. But Democrats and the White House dismissed the Republican effort saying: politically motivated stunts.
But the citizens of Yuma gave the speakers a big round of applause throughout the hearing. This is no Beltway game for them.
“On day one, Joe Biden said no more walls, no more walls.”stay in mexico“No more deportation” Jordan told Hannity(Biden is urged parliament He called for new immigration laws to be passed, saying his powers to deal with the crisis were limited.
“We need to change things and get legislation out of the committee and the House, and we plan to do that,” Jordan added.
Dr. Robert Trenschel, president and CEO of Yuma Regional Medical Center, said his facility $26 million From December 2021 to November 2022 on immigration care. No one pays those bills.
“In Yuma City 100,000 people, and here more than 300,000 people have crossed the border. ” Trentle’s testimony“That’s three times the population of Yuma crossing the border. We’re the only hospital within a three-hour radius. So they come here.”
These unexpected visitors may have to travel to Phoenix or other cities (more than 170 miles away) for medical services such as newborn care, according to Trenshell, Yuma residents. affect the care of
“A single hospital should not and cannot pay for medical care for immigration issues nationwide.” The conclusion of the trench.
The problem has hit border regions hardest, but it is also affecting other parts of the country.
Democratic mayors of Chicago, Washington and New York City I demanded action from the White House.
“The White House must ensure that the immediate needs are met so that affected cities receive the assistance they deserve.” New York City Mayor Eric Adams told Politico in January.
Adams complained that the 40,000 immigrants who arrived in New York last year “can’t afford it anymore.” Tell Yuma that despite hosting 300,000. 8.4 million fewer residents.
Biden may ignore the demands of some Republicans, Democrats, and the American people, but he must not overlook the plight of immigrants themselves.
Wilmot, the sheriff of Yuma County, spoke of the dead scattered across the desert due to the brutal climate and the hands of human traffickers.
“The price tag for migrants smuggled illegally by cartels ranges from about $6,000 up to $15,000 per person, depending on their country of origin.” Wilmot said.
Cartels often force immigrants to carry illegal drugs as they head north. In 2022 alone, more than 12,000 pounds of fentanyl were seized at borders. Wilmot testified.
Imagine how many pounds were not seized.
Only one person is responsible for solving the immigration crisis. Not the nurse pulling a double shift in Yuma. Not a sheriff’s deputy chasing cartel members along unpaved roads. It’s not even the U.S. representatives who take the red eye from Dulles.
Only the president can fix it, and he can do it today.
Biden must accept responsibility for protecting the border, admit that his policies have failed, and replace the disastrous Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorcas. (Mallorcas called on Congress Fixing the immigration system, which he says has been “broken for decades.”
Until Biden does, immigrants, mayors of big cities, and the good people of Yuma, Arizona, will suffer even more.
