90 Miles From Tyranny

Friday, March 26, 2021

The Surge of Children and Families at the Border Began when Biden Took Office and Is Not a Seasonal Variation

A brief analysis published by the Washington Post on March 23 suggested that “there’s no migrant surge at the U.S. southern border.” Instead, the authors argue, the dramatic increase in apprehensions of children and families is just the “usual seasonal bump” in apprehensions that happens every year. They also argue that the increase in apprehensions reflects “pent-up demand” of people who would have come in the last year “but for the pandemic”. (My colleague Andrew Arthur has also written about the Post analysis.)

The first argument is simply not supported by the data. The second argument may have some plausibility except for the fact that this pent-up demand suddenly manifested itself as soon as Biden took office. A far more reasonable interpretation of the data is that President Biden’s pronouncements and policies, including not returning unaccompanied children under Title 42 and releasing Central Americans within 72 hours of apprehension into the United States, as well as his stated desire to end most deportations and continued support for legalizing most illegal immigrants, is spurring larger numbers of families and children to enter illegally.

Figure 1 shows that in January and February of last year, before Covid, the number of children and families apprehended was much less than in January and February of this year. (Unaccompanied alien children are called “UACs”; “single minors” are children apprehended with adults other than a parent.) Once in place in April, the Covid travel restrictions caused a falloff in apprehensions for a time, but by the end of last year apprehensions were back to pre-Covid levels. However, when President Biden took office, the number surged, suddenly and dramatically. If it really was “pent-up demand” and unrelated to the change in administration, then the question has to be asked: Why was this demand suddenly released only after Biden’s inauguration?

On its face, it would seem that the policies and statements by the new administration are being interpreted by prospective migrants to mean that if they are apprehended, they are more likely to be released. Or, if they enter successfully, they are less likely to be sent home than was the case under the prior administration. Some interviews with migrants indicate that this is the case.

Figure 2 examines the seasonality of apprehensions of children and families. It compares December of each year to February of the following year (the green bar). It also compares January to February of the same year. February of this year looks to be very different from...

Cops: Botched Order Prompted Big Mac Attack Minnesotan, 39, charged with assault following domestic beef

MARCH 24--Angered that the mother of his son got him a Quarter Pounder instead of a Big Mac from McDonald’s, a Minnesota man allegedly argued with the woman before throwing her to the ground and then swiping money from the victim’s purse, police charge.

Responding to a flurry of 911 calls about a disturbance Sunday night at a residence in Mankato, a cop was told by the victim that she was assaulted by Mohamed Aboubaker, a Minneapolis resident with a lengthy rap sheet.

Mohamed is clearly just misunderstood.

According to a criminal complaint, the 39-year-old Aboubaker “was visiting for the last few days” with the victim (the pair are parents to a three-year-old boy).

The woman told police that Aboubaker was upset because she got him “a quarter pounder instead of a big mac from McDonald’s.” An argument ensued and Aboubaker allegedly “threw her to the ground against the dresser.” The woman said that “her son was in the room and was screaming while this occurred.”

The victim said that after Aboubaker (pictured above) went into the kitchen and removed money from her purse, she confronted him and sprayed him with a can of “Mace” (which actually was hornet spray).

Aboubaker fled the home, but was subsequently apprehended and charged with a pair of misdemeanor domestic assault counts. Aboubaker’s rap sheet includes convictions for aggravated robbery; receiving stolen property; domestic assault; disorderly conduct, driving with a...

RAIR Foundation USA Investigative journalist Belle Hunter has completed a study debunking the partisan findings of a January, 2020 report which claims that white supremacy is prevalent in America, and is responsible for the majority of domestic terror in Texas.

The so-called “Texas Domestic Terrorism Threat Assessment Report” compiled by the Texas Fusion Center is used to justify policy and funding, despite its many errors discovered by Hunter. Fusion Centers are local intelligence agencies that work with the federal government, and receive federal funding. The Texas Fusion Center is considered to be a “primary fusion center” and as such, enjoys the “highest priority for the allocation of available federal resources.”

The Texas report “points to Veterans and Patriot citizens who ‘view themselves as defenders of the Constitution’ as extremists,” which “suggests there is a problem with the Constitution,” Hunter explained. “This language pits law enforcement against our Military, our Veterans and tax paying citizens in the free exercise of liberty and the right to freely assemble and bear arms,” she continued.Revolutionary Marxist–Leninist “Workers World Party” Fights “White Supremacy”

Hunter explained that the report ignores “substantial and relevant statistical data on crime as a whole” in order “to favor stories on white mass shooters.” The report cherry picks only those cases which support the biased agenda, while presenting “a false picture to the public on the accuracy of domestic terrorism threat and...

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Girls With Guns

Bill points to a three-part approach for in-country processing

The Biden administration is reviving and expanding on the Central American Minors Refugee/Parole program launched in 2014 (and expanded in 2016) by the Obama administration, and terminated in 2017 by the Trump administration.1 While Biden's February executive order sought to "to reinstitute and improve upon the CAM Parole Program" only,2 the entire program, in a new advanced version, is making a comeback.3

The new CAM version will have more outreach, but the rationale is the same: Don't come here illegally because we will design in-country processing programs to get you in legally. That was, in essence, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas' recent message to Central Americans rushing to the Southern border when he asked them to "wait".4 Mayorkas was clear: "We are not saying don't come. We are saying don't come now, because we will be able to provide a safe and orderly process to them."5 (All emphases in quotations are added unless otherwise indicated.) Three programs, specifically designed for Central Americans as "additional options for legal pathways for migration", are likely to be forthcoming.6

That is also, in essence, what President Biden told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos when asked about the "crisis at the border":

I can say quite clearly don't come over. And the process of getting set up, and it's not gonna take a whole long time, is to be able to apply for asylum in place. So don't leave your town or city or community. We're gonna make sure we have facilities in those cities and towns run by department of — by DHS and also access with HHS, the Health and Human Services, to say you can apply for asylum from where you are right now.7

The question remains: Will reopening in-country processing (or what I have called the "back door"8) convince people to apply for a ticket instead of simply showing up at the door? This disincentivizing strategy did not seem to work for the Obama administration; it may not for this one either. Biden's plan may be more elaborate than Obama's, but there is no guarantee it will help resolve the ongoing border crisis.

Restarting CAM

The Department of State announced on March 10 the reopening of the Central American Minors (CAM) program:

As another concrete step in implementing our comprehensive regional migration management strategy, we are expanding legal pathways to enter the United States by reopening the Central American Minors (CAM) program. As directed by President Biden, the Departments of State and Homeland Security (DHS) have initiated the first phase of reinstituting and improving the CAM program to reunite qualified children from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras with their parent or parents who are lawfully present in the United States.9

The program is presented as an essential protection tool for children:

The program ... represents our continued commitment to ensure that our immigration system ... protects the most vulnerable, especially children.10

But CAM, following its 2016 expansion, was no longer limited to "minor children"; adult sons and daughters could also qualify. It was not even restricted to the "children" (minors or adults) of U.S.-based parents; adult "caregivers" (grandparents, siblings, aunts and uncles, etc.) were also able to join in.11

CAM is set reopen in two phases under the Biden administration...

..And When I Say Dear, I Mean You Either Are A Totalitarian Fascist Or You Support Totalitarian Fascists, So When You And Yours Try To Take Me And My Rights Away, I Will Feel No Remorse.