Border Patrol

• In early February 2024, a group of senators proposed new immigration legislation that would have slowed the migrant influx at the border.
• This is far from the first time that Democrats and Republicans have failed to pass legislation that was intended to improve the country’s immigration system.
• Here are four key reasons why meaningful immigration policy change has been so difficult to achieve – and why it remains a pipe dream:

1. Immigration reform has always been hard

• The U.S. has faced major roadblocks every time it has tried to achieve immigration reform.
• The final bipartisan bargain removed racist quotas but appeased those who wanted to restrict immigration by prioritizing new immigrants’ connections to family already in the country – a preference that lawmakers thought would favor Europeans.
• The last big immigration reform happened in 1986, when Congress passed the Immigration Reform and Control Act.

2. The US is more polarized on immigration than ever before

• But partisan and ideological polarization over border control and immigrants’ rights is greater today than any other time.
• Over the past 20 years, Democratic and Republican voters and politicians alike became more firmly aligned with rival pro- and anti-immigration rights movements.
• In 2008, 46% of Republicans and 39% of Democrats said they thought immigration to the U.S. should be decreased.
• In 2023, GOP support for decreased immigration soared to 73%, compared with just 18% of Democrats who said they wanted that.

3. There’s little bipartisan agreement over what the problem actually is

• Yet different political groups cannot agree on what exactly is wrong and how to solve it.
• For some Republicans, including former Trump, the problem is lax border control and permissive policies that allow dangerous migrants to enter and stay in the country.
• Right-wing politicians and commentators, like Tucker Carlson, have exploited these anxieties, warning that large-scale immigration will “replace” white Americans.
• There are also conservatives who think immigration is consistent with the principles of individual liberty, entrepreneurship and national economic growth.

4. Immigration reform is especially messy in a presidential election year

• Presidential election years are fertile ground for politicking on immigrants and borders, but not lasting policy reform.
• In 2021, President Joe Biden and his supporters introduced an immigration bill that would offer a pathway to legal residency for nearly all undocumented immigrants.
• Now, Biden finds himself underwater with voters, including Democrats, on immigration and the perceived chaos at the border.

Daniel Tichenor does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

• Border Patrol is using the Teal 2 to provide supplemental airborne reconnaissance, surveillance and tracking capability, enhancing situational awareness for U.S. field commanders and agents.
• The single-source contract is part of a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) between CBP and five drone companies, announced in December 2021, with a total estimated value of $90 million over a five-year period.
• “We are honored to provide this important U.S. agency with drones that help enable their mission,” said Red Cat CEO Jeff Thompson.
• “The Border Patrol pilots are some of the best and their feedback has been instrumental in Teal 2 enhancements.

• Timed with the unveiling of Apple's new iPhone, the Heat Initiative is flying the plane to pressure Apple to detect and remove images and videos of child sexual abuse on iCloud.
• In August 2021, Apple announced a plan to detect child sexual abuse images and videos with company leadership expressing strong support for the initiative.
• Polling shows 90% of Americans believe Apple should detect, report, and remove child sexual abuse images and videos.
• There are hundreds of documented cases of child sexual abuse spread on Apple devices, emphasizing the critical need for prompt action.

• "The long-awaited border encounter numbers are out, and they contradict the Biden administration's claims that their policies are significantly reducing illegal immigration and the strain on our borders.
• "In typical fashion, the administration is attempting to divert attention from the total number of encounters by drawing attention to Southwest border encounters only.
• "What the administration is attempting is nothing more than an elaborate shell game designed to make their policy of mass illegal immigration less conspicuous.
• Less conspicuous illegal immigration is not the same as less illegal immigration, and has the same devastating effects to the interests and security of the American people."