When it comes to immigrants, Republicans have nothing but lies.

If you don't pay attention to what MAGA Republicans are doing or what is being reported at right wing news outlets, you might not be aware of the fact that their attempts to fear-monger are now focusing almost exclusively on the so-called "border crisis." As I noted previously, with the economy doing so well and crime rates dropping, they don't have anything else to ramp up the rage on the right. 

So today, NPR reports that immigration is shaping up to be a major campaign issue as  House Speaker Mike Johnson leads a delegation of 60 Republicans on a visit to the Eagle Pass port of entry in Texas. 

But even more noteworthy, Johnson has signed off on an effort to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas over his handling of the border. Proceedings will begin next week. The claim is that he refused "to enforce the laws passed by Congress, and that his failure to fulfill his oath of office demands accountability." Of course, that's all bullsh*t. Since Republicans won't be able to prove that Mayorkas committed any high crimes or misdemeanors, they simply want to use the opportunity to spread their fear-mongering lies. As an example, here's what they have planned for their first hearing:

[Homeland Security Committee Chair Mark] Green’s first hearing is expected to be titled: “Havoc in the Heartland: How Secretary Mayorkas’ Failed Leadership Has Impacted the States.”

The hearing will explore how Midwestern states have grappled with the flow of migrants that have increasingly come across the southern border in recent years.

I doubt Green will want to hear from people like Robert Leonard, who lives in Knoxsville, Iowa (emphasis mine). 

We should help and welcome refugees because we can, but also, if you need a cold-hearted economic reason, because we need them. Iowa Workforce Development reports that in December of 2019, Iowa had 60,000 job openings, and 49,000 unemployed people. The job openings have nearly doubled since then. In February of this year, our job openings had grown to 109,000 jobs open, with 59,500 people unemployed. Inviting immigrants, and having the support system in place to help them as they arrive, isn’t a cost, it’s an investment.

That's why it's important for the rest of us to understand what's going on and call out the lies. As I've documented, we are experiencing a refugee crisis, not a border crisis. Being clear about that shifts the focus away from fear-mongering and towards policies that will work. 

There is one thing we can all agree on: encounters with migrants on our southern border have been rising - especially since 2021.

However, that's where the agreement ends because Republicans decided to embrace fear-mongering about immigration as part of their agenda back in 2013. It all started when House Speaker Boehner refused to bring up the bi-partisan immigration reform bill that had passed the Senate. At the time, the focus was on the 11 million undocumented migrants who were already in the country and workers from Mexico crossing the border illegally. 

Arguments made by Republicans at the time focused on lies about immigrants taking away jobs from "real Americans" and being a drain on our economy. With the advent of Donald Trump's foray into national politics, immigrants became a central issue of his 2016 presidential campaign and the lies shifted to the idea that immigrants are criminals. That one has morphed into a lie tying fentanyl to the so-called "border crisis."

These days we're hearing a lot about this whole thing being a Democratic plot.

That leads directly to the white nationalist "great replacement theory." Putting an exclamation point on that one, Trump actually said that these immigrants are "poisoning the blood" of our country. 

Adding to the fascist nature of these lies, today I saw the first article from a right wing news outlet (RealClearPolitics) claiming that immigrants are bringing in diseases like leprosy, polio, TB, and measles. That's right out of Hitler's playbook.  

All of these lies have one thing in common: they are designed to spread fear about these migrants, which allows Republicans to blame Biden and Democrats for the crisis. But let's take a look at what they are actually proposing. 

Republicans in the House passed the Secure Borders Act (H.R. 2) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) introduced similar legislation in the Senate. Here's some of what that legislation would do:

1. Require the Department of Homeland Security to resume border wall construction. A total waste of tax dollars given that the southern border is more fortified than it's ever been and asylum-seekers turn themselves in to Border Patrol.
2. Tighten asylum standards by requiring migrants to prove they are “more likely than not” to qualify for their asylum claim. This would make it more difficult for migrants to pass the initial "credible fear assessment."
3. Narrow DHS’s power to unilaterally grant parole to migrants. This is the program that was used to allow refugees from Ukraine and Afghanistan to enter the country. The Biden administration is now applying it to refugees from Nicaragua, Cuba, Haiti, and Venezuela - with extremely positive results.
4. Stop NGOs from using tax dollars to transport or lodge migrants and provide them with lawyers. Yes, Republicans want to stop federal dollars going to NGO's that provide shelter, transportation, and legal counsel to refugees while they await their asylum hearing.
5. Restrict DHS from using its CBP One app. This is the phone app that allows migrants to schedule an asylum assessment at a port of entry. 

In summary, Republicans want to end two Biden programs that are working (the parole program and CBP One), make it harder for migrants to claim asylum, make life more difficult for migrants awaiting asylum hearings, and build a useless border wall. Other than wanting to take a sledge hammer to anything Biden has done, that sure looks like some weak sauce to me - especially after all of the hair-on-fire fear-mongering they've been doing. 

In the end, those of us who live in the reality-based world need to reckon with two things (1) be clear that this is not a border crisis, but a refugee crisis, and (2) decide if there is any reason to fear asylum-seekers. If not, we need to beef up the processes for screening and welcome them into our melting pot. The truth is - we need them!