Kerby Anderson

Immigration is the major problem facing this country according to the most recent Gallup polls. The pollsters asked, “What do you think is the most important problem facing this country today?” Immigration was the first problem listed, even outdistancing inflation and the economy.

On my radio program, one guest asked me if I could ever remember a time when the issue of immigration rated as high as it does now. I never have seen it rated so high even back when immigration was being debated and immigration reform was being proposed by the “Gang of Eight.” This is significant, since the current administration has tried to assure Americans for this last year that the border is secure, and immigration is under control.

The real question that some might ask is whether this concern is perception or reality. After all, the current administration has been saying that the economy is good, even though Americans feel like it is hard for them to make ends meet. What is the reality at the border?

According to US Customs and Border Protection, about 7.3 million people have unlawfully crossed the southwest border since President Biden came into office. To put that number in perspective, consider that it exceeds the population of 36 US states. If you took those 7.3 million and made them live in a city, that city would be the second largest city in the country.

I might mention one other statistic. The 7.3 million does not include the estimated 1.8 million “gotaways” that did not want to be caught. If you add those two numbers together, you have a city larger than New York City.