Opinion Pieces

As both a Marine and a commercial airline pilot, I’ve flown in some pretty daunting conditions. I’ve encountered more than a few in-air crises, too. The difference between a crisis and a catastrophe, however, often lies in the approach to the crisis at its onset.

For instance, if a pilot is flying in the dead of night with snow on the runway and one engine out – that’s a crisis. If they are unable to land the plane safely – that’s a catastrophe.

In today’s world – and especially with this current Administration – there are plenty of urgent situations that are often dubbed “crises”, yet that term has been overused to the point of diluting its meaning. It’s difficult to understand the varying degrees of urgency that the term ‘crisis’ can encompass when it’s applied to everything from running out of milk to the dire circumstances at our southern border.

The dire circumstances at our southern border are certainly worthy of being deemed a crisis. It’s a powder keg waiting to explode.

The influx of people who are on the terror watchlist can — at any moment — light an irreversible fuse of destruction in our country, one which would certainly result in catastrophe. Let’s be perfectly clear — the urgency of this crisis can’t be overstated. What our nation desperately needs right now is steadfast leadership and a greater understanding of our porous southern border.

From a severe deterioration of resources for those serving as our only line of defense, to failing to build a wall or add technology needed to provide security, we can no longer ignore this festering situation.

There’s a misleading claim being spread by President Joe Biden right now suggesting that he can’t secure the border without the approval of Congress. However, the authority that he leveraged to undo every protective and efficient border policy of the Trump Administration is the same authority he could easily use now to safeguard our national security.

Without secure borders, the rate of crossings which continue to smash records every month could yield a catastrophic event that our country hasn’t seen, particularly given that many on the terrorist watchlist are continually apprehended at — and sometimes lost beyond — our borders.

That’s what makes the legislative lethargy we’re seeing even more frustrating. The U.S. House passed H.R. 2, known as the Secure the Border Act, which sat idly in the Senate as they constructed a “deal” that instead of stopping, normalized the surge of illegal immigration.

The proposed Senate bill enshrined into law some of the dangerous border policies that caused the crisis in the first place. And only $20 billion of the $118 billion so-called border bill would be allotted to border security.

This wasn’t even a Band-Aid; it was a green light for an unfettered invasion.

Republicans have a plan, and its time the Senate and President Biden come to the table to pass legislation that actually secures our borders. Biden must work to secure our borders by reinstating the Remain in Mexico policy, employing the expedited removal authority, and reauthorizing construction of the border wall. We must use all of the tools at our disposal to regain national sovereignty, protect our communities, and ensure that those coming to our country are documented and doing things legally.

With the surge of illegal immigrants since Biden took office, truly every town in America is now a border town. Left alone, the slow burn of this crisis will lend itself to a catastrophe.

We can contain the disaster if we have the fortitude to do what is right for the American people.