Congressman Chris Jacobs visited the southern border stating that the situation is a “national security and humanitarian crisis.” Yes, it is, and it has been for years. But it is not just immigration at the southern border; we also have a northern border, and two oceans, and airports with multiple points of entrance. That is one reason why we need a comprehensive immigration policy. Mr. Jacobs only highlights the arrest of suspected terrorists at the Southern border, but not the fact that most suspected terrorists attempt to arrive by airplane. PolitiFact reported in 2017 there were 2,554 individuals on the terrorist watchlist who tried to enter the country, most of those by airplanes. Even Mr. Jacobs’s predecessor, former Congressman Chris Collins, expressed concerns about our northern border. He told Howard B. Owens of The Batavian that “Canadians (are) pouring over the border to get health care that’s just not available within their universal healthcare system,” (The Batavian, August 3, 2017).
Furthermore, it needs to be pointed out that Mr. Jacobs gave tacit support to predominately white terrorists who attacked the Capitol on January 6, wearing body armor and carrying bear spray, baseball bats, climbing gear, and pipe bombs to prevent Constitutionally-mandated activities. By only emphasizing the southern border, Mr. Jacobs is showing his racism and appealing to the anger-based fear-mongering disinformation politics of his base. The immigration issue is multifaceted and can only be addressed with knowledge-based problem solving, not the scaremongering disinformation of Mr. Jacobs.
