Last month, under bipartisan pressure, President Joe Biden announced an executive order giving a false sense of border control. It allows in 2,500 illegal aliens daily, after which “draconian expulsion policies” push everyone else back into Mexico to find a proper port of entry.

However, the policy is riddled with exceptions. Anyone claiming fear of returning to Mexico, unaccompanied minors, and those using Biden’s CBP One app are released. These loopholes guarantee entry, making the process a charade.

Biden is trying to appear tough while ignoring actual concerns because it’s an election year. Allowing 2,500 daily illegal crossings normalizes unauthorized entry, amounting to 912,500 annually. Even those pushed back are eventually allowed in under parole. This isn’t border security; it’s a revolving door policy designed to placate political interests instead of addressing the root problems.

Democrats are using this as a campaign tactic, attempting to shift blame onto Republicans for not passing last May’s disastrous bill. Senate Bill S.4361 was touted as a solution but was fraught with problems. It would have normalized 5,000 illegal entries daily (1,825,000 annually), fundamentally reversing the Immigration and Naturalization Act’s goal of zero illegal entries. That bill wasn’t a solution; it would have embedded illegal immigration into law.

Both Biden’s executive order and S.4361 never address the real question: If you can close the border to illegal immigration when you reach the 2,500 or 5,000 mark, why not close it completely?

The Senate bill promised faster asylum processes and more border patrol agents but lacked enforcement. Asylum seekers could disappear during the 180-day process, but without robust interior enforcement, deportations are easily avoided. This bill would also restrict future border security efforts, preventing any real reform down the line.

Biden’s deportation numbers are misleading, including those who quickly return. This isn’t deterrence; it’s a shell game. And deportation rates are too low to deter anyone from coming. We need consistent, consequence-based border security, not temporary measures and political maneuvering.

An internal Border Patrol memo reveals that agents are instructed to release single adults from over 100 eastern hemisphere countries (excluding six “mandatory referral” countries) because it’s too hard to send them back. Most crossers in San Diego, including Chinese, Middle Eastern and African adults, are still being released with future court dates. This means that mass catch-and-release continues unabated, with illegal immigrants entering from around the globe.

People from 160 countries are illegally crossing the border, overwhelmingly military-aged men. Bill Melugin from Fox News reported that in May alone, over 3,500 Chinese nationals, 770 Jordanians, 670 Turkish and 500 Mauritanians (a known terrorist country) were encountered crossing the southern border.

FBI Director Chris Wray has warned that the current border situation significantly increases the risk of terror attacks within the United States. The Department of Homeland Security’s 2024 threat assessment confirms that the current border situation has increased vulnerability to such attacks.

On May 3, a serious incident at Quantico Marine Corps Base involved two Jordanian men, who crossed the border illegally, posing as Amazon delivery drivers. Military police stopped them from speeding through the gate. One was on the terror watch list and the other had overstayed his visa.

Last week, eight Tajikistan nationals with ISIS ties were arrested by ICE and the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force in New York City, Los Angeles and Philadelphia. They had also crossed the southern border illegally. A wiretap showed that they were discussing bombs.

They used Biden’s CBP One app, exempted by his executive order, to cross the border. No derogatory information was flagged by CBP or DHS, and they were given a court date next year.

These incidents underscore critical flaws in our border security and immigration policies that have fallen apart under Biden’s watch. What do progressives gain by allowing unvetted individuals to enter the U.S.? Is the political strategy to gain as many illegal immigrants as possible to vote Democrat in future elections? Or to influence the 2030 Census to tip the number of Congressional representatives in favor of the Democrats? Or simply to destroy America from the inside?

Americans must wake up to the fact that our leaders are sacrificing our security for a temporary power shift. How many illegals are crossing our borders while we wait for genuine reform? How much longer will we tolerate political squabbles as illegal activity rises? Our tax dollars fund military-aged illegal aliens, while our young adults struggle to afford homes. These are the urgent questions we must address as we head into November. The very fabric of our country is at stake.

Courtney served 20 years as a nuclear engineering officer aboard submarines and 15 years as a graduate school instructor. A political independent, he spends his time chasing his eight grandchildren around Moscow.