‘It’s Just Unacceptable’: The Border Crisis Is Overwhelming Schools in Some of America’s Most Populated Cities

The crisis at the southern border is overwhelming school systems in several metropolitan areas of the country, according to multiple reports.

New York City, Miami-Dade County, Denver and Chicago school systems have all had to adapt to the influx of migrants, according to reports. Border Patrol recorded more than 632,000 encounters of migrant families and unaccompanied children in fiscal year 2022 at the southern border and more than 365,000 in the first seven months of fiscal year 2023, according to federal data.

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Another U.S. Citizen Caught Smuggling Migrants Gets Sentenced to Prison

Tucson resident Michael Lopez-Loreto, 22, has been sentenced by the U.S. District Court for conspiracy to transport illegal immigrants for profit and placing the life of a person in jeopardy.

According to a Tuesday release from the Arizona District of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Lopez-Loreto is going to jail for two-and-a-half years following an incident in January 2023. After receiving a call from a property owner reporting an unidentified car parked on their land, Border Patrol agents witnessed people running through the desert into Lopez-Loreto’s car. However, the group ran into agents blocking the road before he could make it far.

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Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels Speaks in Washington on Southern Border Crisis Affect in Arizona

Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels spoke at the US House Judiciary Committee’s Wednesday hearing on the southern border crisis, speaking on how his county has been affected by the ongoing issue.

“Our southern border, against all public comfort statements out of Washington D.C., is in the worst shape I have ever seen it,” Dannels said. “Communities have been neglected and abandoned, relying on our own local and state resources to address a border that is in crisis mode.”

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Arizona State Legislators and Guests Address Southern Border Crisis and Plans to Alleviate It at State Capitol

PHOENIX, Arizona – Republican members of the state legislature gathered outside the state capitol to discuss the ongoing crisis caused by conditions at the southern border and how they plan to address it in the coming session. State Rep. Steve Montenegro (R-Avondale) began the meeting by addressing the fentanyl flowing into the country across the border.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is now a public health crisis, and we need to take swift action to deal with what is happening, to combat it,” Montenegro said. “The legislature is focused on empowering law enforcement to stop border crimes by directing resources, forming task forces, and applying pressure on those who are abetting this crisis and denying the disastrous effects it has on our communities.”

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Yuma County Declares Emergency at Southern Border as Title 42 Nears End

The Yuma County Board of Supervisors (BOS) officially declared a state of emergency regarding the southern border Wednesday, citing concerns with health and the potential increase of migrant activity in the coming month.

“More than 300,000 apprehensions have been made by Yuma Sector agents in fiscal year 2022. The number of asylum seekers is expected to increase sharply with the expiration of Title 42 on Wednesday, December 21. The emergency declaration will allow for additional flexibility and resources to address the evolving issue,” according to the declaration.

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New Report Shows the Economic Cost of the Opioid Crisis on Arizona

A new report from the Common Sense Institute of Arizona (CSI) shared how the growing opioid crisis has economically burdened Arizona.

“Federal border officials have been forced to reallocate scarce resources to the interdiction and processing of migrants since 2020. Failure to complete physical barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border, combined with a lack of enforcement attention, has enabled sufficient flow of fentanyl into the United States to fill a demand shift created in part by the crackdown on mail-order and prescription drugs,” according to the CSI. “Last year, fatal overdoses in Arizona reached the highest level ever reported by DHS, and data suggests the national numbers will be worse this year.”

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Mark Brnovich Opposes Stay in Judgement Involving a Dangerous Department of Homeland Security Policy

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich led a coalition of 19 states on Wednesday in filing an amicus brief at the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) in opposition to the federal government’s application for a stay regarding the U.S. Department of Homeland Securities’ (DHS) dangerous Permanent Guidance policy.

“The federal government’s plan would intentionally and substantially increase illegal immigration when border crossings are already at unprecedented levels,” Brnovich said in a press release. “Instead of seeking solutions, the Biden administration is attempting to further inflame the crisis.”

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Arizona Attorney General Alleges DHS Is Abusing Parole Authority by Releasing Criminal Illegal Aliens into Communities

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich (R) filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in support of Texas v. United States, which focuses on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) dangerous Permanent Guidance.

“This policy is another example in the shameful list of actions that the Biden administration is taking to hobble immigration enforcement and encourage border crossings,” Brnovich said in a press release. “It has and continues to cause the Amici States extensive harm through increased law enforcement, education, and health care expenditures.”

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DeSantis Cracks Down on Illegal Drug Traffickers

Last week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed HB 95 which cracks down on the penalties for the sale and distribution of opioids in Florida, which includes fentanyl. The signing comes as DeSantis has worked with the Florida Legislature to pass numerous pieces of legislation to fight the influx of illegal immigrants, and often times, illegal drug traffickers into Florida.

In the announcement, DeSantis swiped at the President Joe Biden (D) administration for their lack of action regarding the influx of illegal immigrants on the southern border.

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Jacksonville Murder Case Involving Immigrant Creates Further Criticism of Biden’s Border Policy

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Region IV Emergency Operations Center (EOC) personnel supporting Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) partners monitor final preparations for Hurricane Dorian. CBP Air and Marine Operations aircrews, U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) and Office of Field Operations (OFO) teams from Region IV are ready to deploy as needed for Hurricane Dorian response efforts. CBP Region IV is working closely with a far-reaching network of FEMA partners and local officials. CBP Region IV provides communications and coordination for all CBP surface, land and air assets in Region IV which includes Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, the Caribbean, Puerto Rico and the U.S Virgin Islands during major disasters and national emergencies.

The murder of a Jacksonville man has further stirred Governor DeSantis’ criticism of the Biden Administration’s border policies as news arose that the suspect of the crime was an immigrant who had faked his identity in order to cross the U.S.-Mexico border.

According to a report by News4Jax, 24-year-old Yery Medina Ulloa from Honduras – who pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder on Thursday – posed as a teenager at the border so that he could pass as an unaccompanied minor. However, federal officials have yet to comment on how Ulloa got to Florida.

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Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis Demands Refunds Amid Biden’s Border Settlements

Florida’s Chief Financial Officer, Jimmy Patronis, gave an ultimatum to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Tuesday, demanding the Department of Justice to refund Floridians’ income taxes if they are used to pay out potential settlements to immigrant family members who were separated at the border.

As the $450,000-per-person settlements could amount to almost a billion dollars, Patronis’ proposal calls on the federal government to “not subsidize or incentivize illegal immigration.”

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Florida Governor DeSantis Announces Actions to Address the ‘Biden Border Crisis’

Governor DeSantis, along with Florida Attorney General, Ashley Moody, joined together on Tuesday to announce three actions Florida is taking to address what they call the “Biden Border Crisis.”

The three actions include the Biden Border Crisis Executive Order 21-223 (EO 21-223), the appointment of Larry Keefe, former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, as Public Safety Czar to carry out the order, and lastly, a lawsuit that was filed against the Biden Administration challenging its “catch and release” policy.

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Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody Joins Suit Related to ‘Remain in Mexico’ Policy

Ashley Moody

Florida joined a coalition with 17 other states to back an amicus brief asking the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to deny the Biden administration’s motion for a stay on the Texas Supreme Court ruling to reinstate Migrant Protection Protocols (MPPs), or the “Remain in Mexico” policy, established under former President Trump.

In the brief, it states, “The border is in crisis. This Administration is increasingly and alarmingly lawless. And the States continue to suffer escalating irreparable harm as the border slips further and further away from the Administration’s control.”

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Mark Krikorian of the Center for Immigration Studies Explains Why He’s Called for the Withdrawal from the 1951 Refugee Convention Treaty

1951 Refugee Convention

Thursday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed Mark Krikorian of the Center for Immigration Studies to the newsmakers line to further outline his recent article at the National Review online which called for the withdrawal from the 1951 Refugee treaty with the UN.

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Governor Ron DeSantis Joins Texas Governor Greg Abbott for Border Crisis Briefing

Governor Abbott Hosts Florida Governor DeSantis

Governor Ron DeSantis joined Governor Greg Abbott in Texas for briefing to address the current crisis that is currently happening at the border since the Biden administration lifted multiple border policies issued by former President Trump. 

Florida was the first state to provide help at the border after Governor DeSantis deployed law enforcement in June. 

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Governor DeSantis Deploys Florida Law Enforcement to Help with Border Crisis

Border Surge

Governor DeSantis announced the deployment of Florida law enforcement officials and equipment to provide assistance to the border crisis presented in a joint letter by Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Arizona Governor Doug Ducey.

 Over 50 Officials from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission have already made their way to Texas. 

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Director of Policy Studies at the Center for Immigration Studies Jessica Vaughan Weighs in on the Seriousness of America’s Southern Border Surge

Friday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed the Director of Policy Studies at the Center for Immigration Studies Jessica Vaughan to the newsmakers line to explain the urgency at the southern border as a result of the Biden administration’s encouraging unofficial policies.

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Jeff Webb Commentary: A Republican Controlled Congress Failed to Fix the Southern Border Crisis for Two Years

by Jeff Webb   Last week, 12 Republican senators – including Tennessee’s own Lamar Alexander – voted for a resolution to terminate President Trump’s declaration of a national emergency at the Southern border and his attempt to fund the construction of new sections of the wall. These senators based their votes on the grounds that it sets a potentially dangerous precedent for the president to act unilaterally in this way. I understand their arguments. After all, who wants to open the door for future President Liz Warren to declare a national emergency so she can unilaterally ban firearms or fossil fuels? They say that passing immigration reform ought to be done by Congress. On this, they’re 99 percent right – because it ought to have been done by Congress a long time ago. It would be easier to take these senators’ objections more seriously if they had done more than sit on their hands for the past several years. There is simply no denying that the situation on the border is untenable. The New York Times, hardly the biggest fans of the President’s agenda, reported that unauthorized migrants are entering the country at double the rate from just one year…

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