Immigration Policies Are Driving the Crisis at the Border

Summary

In fiscal year 2021 the U.S. Border Patrol apprehended more illegal migrants at the Southwest border (nearly 1.7 million) than in any year in history. In this weeks’ Parsing Immigration Policy podcast, Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council, speaks out on behalf of the 18,000 Border Patrol agents he represents as head of their union. What are the principal factors driving this migrant surge? How can the U.S. solve this illegal immigration problem and maintain a secure border?

Judd, just back from the Texas border, discusses how U.S. immigration policy, particularly the “catch and release program”, is affecting the border, making it challenging for Border Patrol agents to successfully perform their mission of “protecting our Nation by reducing the likelihood that dangerous people and capabilities enter the United States between the ports of entry.”

This week’s episode covers many issues – from the “Remain in Mexico” policy, Title 42 (public Health) border expulsions, and physical barriers to criminal cartels dictating law enforcement operations and the state of agent morale. Judd addresses how to solve the illegal immigration problem and make American communities safer.

In his closing commentary, Mark Krikorian, the Center’s executive director and host of Parsing Immigration Policy, discusses a new report from the Economic Policy Institute that describes how one of the big Indian tech staffing firms cheated its own Indian H-1B employees by an estimated $95 million. Far from being an abuse of the system, Krikorian pointed out that the H-1B visa is designed to exploit foreign workers and undercut American workers.

Host

Mark Krikorian is the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies.

Guest

Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council

Related

New evidence of widespread wage theft in the H-1B visa program

Follow

Follow Parsing Immigration Policy on Ricochet, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts

Intro Montage

Voices in the opening montage:

• Sen. Barack Obama at a 2005 press conference.
• Sen. John McCain in a 2010 election ad.
• President Lyndon Johnson, upon signing the 1965 Immigration Act.
• Booker T. Washington, reading in 1908 from his 1895 Atlanta Exposition speech.
• Laraine Newman as a "Conehead" on SNL in 1977.
• Hillary Clinton in a 2003 radio interview.
• Cesar Chavez in a 1974 interview.
• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaking to reporters in 2019.
• Prof. George Borjas in a 2016 C-SPAN appearance.
• Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2008 comments on the Senate floor.
• Charlton Heston in "Planet of the Apes".