Biden administration playing 'shell game' to mask illegal immigration, former CBP chief alleges

Even as the illegal immigration crisis along America's southern border continues to worsen, Biden administration officials are resorting to sleight of hand to downplay the number of migrants crossing into the U.S., alleges former acting Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Mark Morgan. 

The federal government's current immigration policies are "a perversion and violation of the law on two fronts," Morgan told Just The News. "First, they've told the entire world, in an exchange to stop illegally entering the border — and filing fraudulent asylum claims — Department of Homeland Security (DHS) promises them they can now make an appointment to walk up to a POE [Point of Entry], continue with filing fraudulent claims, where they will be promptly released into the United States." 

"Secondly, in direct violation of our parole laws, they have sweetened the deal even more for immigrants from Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba, and Haiti," he continued. "Again,The Department of Homeland Security has made them an offer they can’t refuse. Stop entering our nation illegally, and in exchange, we'll parole 30,000 of you into the US, no questions asked!"

"For these migrants, they don't even have to go through the motions of claiming asylum," Morgan added. "Just hop on the internet to claim your free pass. That's 360,000 would-be illegal aliens this coming fiscal year who will be granted defacto temporary amnesty." 

Morgan accused federal immigration authorities of "legalizing otherwise illegal activity and then claiming victory."

"As the numbers of those illegally entering in between the POEs significantly recede, watch how the numbers at our POEs increase in kind. It's an unlawful, perverse shell game, which serves to mask the crisis rather than address it in any meaningful way," he said. "They haven't put forth a single policy to deter or disincentivize the flow — nor to insert integrity — back into a broken system through ending of catch and release. They simply transferred their massive release strategy to the POEs." 

Just The News sought responses from the CBP, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Department of Homeland Security, and the White House, but none of the agencies provided official comment for the story.

Defenders of the administration have argued that historically high figures for border encounters are misleading, bloated by unusually large numbes who have made multiple attempts to cross the border due to, for example, increased expulsions under Title 42 to limit the spread of COVID-19.With regard to those awaiting court hearings in the U.S., federal law says that administration, access and processing of requests must take place when asylum is requested from someone who has set foot on U.S. soil.  

Despite federal authorities' efforts to cut the processing time  for asylum request down to just a matter of months, however, the illegal crossings continue.

Southern border states became so overwhelmed with illegal immigrants that they began busing them to so-called "sanctuary cities" governed by liberal politicians.  

In July 2022, Washington, D.C. Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser claimed these migrants were being "tricked" into getting on the buses. 

"Local taxpayers are not picking up the tab and should not pick up the tab," she told CBS' "Face the Nation" in an interview. "But I fear [the migrants] are being tricked into nationwide bus trips when their final destinations are places all over the United States of America."

As of the month prior to her statement, nearly $3 million of Texas taxpayer dollars had been spent by the Texas Division of Emergency Management to bus more than 1,700 migrants to Washington D.C., in an effort to draw attention to the continuing chaos at the border. 

You can follow Nick on Twitter @NGivasDC