Ep. 1554 - Yes, Illegal Immigration Is Spiking Thanks To Joe Biden

Episode Summary

Executive Summary: The episode argues that Joe Biden shifted from a historically tough stance on illegal immigration to a much more permissive, pro-amnesty approach under pressure from the Democratic Party’s leftward drift. It claims this shift—through catch-and-release, opposition to border enforcement, and planned legalization—has worsened border crossings, child migration, fatalities, and fentanyl trafficking.

Main Topics: Biden’s evolution on immigration (Priority: 5/5): The transcript frames Biden as a political weather vane who moved from border hawk to border dove as the Democratic Party became more pro-open-borders. 1996 immigration enforcement overhaul (Priority: 5/5): It highlights Biden’s support for the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act as evidence he once backed stricter deportation and detention policies. Obama-era shift and DACA (Priority: 4/5): The discussion argues that Biden’s stance changed sharply during the Obama years, especially after DACA and the broader Democratic embrace of leniency toward unauthorized immigrants. Biden administration border policy and catch-and-release (Priority: 5/5): The episode claims Biden quickly restored catch-and-release, stopped border fencing, and created incentives for more illegal crossings by signaling that migrants would be released into the interior. Scale of the border crisis (Priority: 5/5): The transcript presents large increases in migrant encounters, unaccompanied minors, gotaways, and direct releases as evidence the border is not secure. Humanitarian and security consequences (Priority: 4/5): It connects looser border policy to more migrant deaths and increased fentanyl smuggling, arguing that enforcement failures have broader public-safety and humanitarian costs.

Key Arguments: Joe Biden’s immigration views changed dramatically over time, reflecting the Democratic Party’s move left rather than a stable personal philosophy. Biden supported major enforcement measures in the 1990s and 2000s, including tougher deportation rules, border fencing, and penalties for employers who hired illegal immigrants. The Obama administration’s DACA-era politics helped normalize a more permissive posture toward unauthorized immigration, which Biden later adopted fully. Biden’s first-day actions, including pausing border fencing and proposing a pathway to citizenship, signaled broad amnesty before border control was restored. Reviving catch-and-release and avoiding expedited removal allegedly encouraged more migrants to attempt crossing because they expected release into the U.S. interior. The administration’s public claim that the border is secure is presented as false and politically motivated. Border insecurity is linked in the transcript to rising deaths, more unaccompanied children, and increased fentanyl seizures. The border crisis is portrayed not as an inevitable external problem but as the result of deliberate policy choices by the Biden administration.

Data Points: Illegal immigrants estimated in Biden 2021 proposal: 11 million - Pathway-to-citizenship plan sent to Congress on Inauguration Day Border fencing Biden supported in 2006: 700 miles - Biden said he voted for a 700-mile fence on the southern border Mexicans deported from the U.S.: ~25,000 in 1994-95 to 150,000 by 1998-99 - Attributed to enforcement changes in the 1996 immigration law Biden supported Children without parents at border: 443 - Figure cited for July 17, 2022 Children held by federal authorities: 11,600+ - Count cited as being in federal custody in 2022 Expected single minors in 2022: 161,000 - Projected unaccompanied minors crossing the border in 2022 Unaccompanied minors in 2014: 68,000 - Used for comparison to 2022 projected levels Migrants processed since Jan. 2021: 1.4 million - Figure cited from DHS/Secretary testimony Aliens directly released since Jan. 21, 2021: 836,000+ - Estimate discussed during border policy critique Unaccompanied alien children (UACs): 207,000 - Added to releases in the border totals discussed Estimated gotaways: 200,000-400,000 - Border Patrol estimate of migrants who evaded apprehension Migrant encounters at the border in FY2021: 1.659 million - Presented as the highest level ever Migrant encounters in 2016: 303,000 - Used as a pre-Biden comparison point July 2021 border stops: 210,000+ - CBP figure described as the biggest monthly number in more than 20 years Single children arriving in 2021: 144,000 - Compared with 38,000 in 2013 Border deaths in 2021: Up almost 300 vs prior year - Cited as evidence of humanitarian harm Fentanyl seizures at El Paso: 4,000% increase over three years - NBC News figure cited for the sector Fentanyl seized in Biden’s first 15 months: 13,021 pounds - FactCheck.org comparison of fentanyl seizures Fentanyl seized in Trump’s last 15 months: 7,677 pounds - Used as baseline for comparison Relative increase in fentanyl seizures: 70% more - Biden first 15 months versus Trump last 15 months

Pivotal Quotes: "There must be fences. Not Donald Trump, Joe Biden, 2006, not all that long ago." — Ben Shapiro: Used to underscore Biden’s earlier support for border barriers "This administration's policy that literally ripped babies from the arms of their mothers and fathers is one of the darkest moments in our history." — Joe Biden: Quoted from Biden’s 2018 criticism of Trump-era border enforcement "If you want to flee and you are fleeing oppression, you should come." — Joe Biden: Cited as evidence of a broad asylum/open-border message during the 2020 campaign

Implications: The transcript suggests that border policy will remain a major political flashpoint, with enforcement, amnesty, and asylum rules shaping migration flows, public safety debates, and future election strategy.