When Donald Trump was President, he had established a policy that required those illegally crossing the border with Mexico to return to Mexico to await their court dates. The Biden administration decided to abandon that policy and release those people into the United States. The States of Texas and Missouri sued the Biden administration, asking the Court to order the Biden Administration to continue the Remain in Mexico policy. They said that repealing the policy had resulted in a surge of people illegally crossing the border, resulting in an expensive burden on their taxpayers. They also argued that the administration had not followed the law in repealing the policy. A federal judge in Texas agreed and on August 13, issued a nationwide order requiring the federal government to enforce the Remain in Mexico policy. The government appealed to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
The Circuit Court refused to stay the lower court’s order pending a final ruling on the appeal. The government then appealed to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court also refused to stay the lower court’s ruling, by a 6-3 vote, and referred the case back to the Circuit Court for a final ruling. Obviously, the case is not over. We will have to see what the final disposition is. Another question is whether the administration will comply with the Court order or will they come up with excuses for failing to comply.
Though the border states are most affected by the porous border, all states are affected because once people crossing the border illegally get into the USA, they spread out and go into the rest of the states. Every state has people who are in our country illegally. We even have some from the middle east crossing our southern border.
Understandably, with all that is going on in Afghanistan, the attention of the public is diverted from what is going on at the border. I, along with most Americans, continue to be appalled and frustrated to see how ineptly our government is handling the withdrawal from there.
State Senator Julian Garrett is a retired attorney and farmer. He resides in Warren County.
