Immigration

Some of you might remember when President Carter offered asylum to 3,500 Cuban refugees under the Refugee Act of 1980 after Castro briefly opened their borders that year. More than 125,000 arrived with the tragic Mariel Boat Lift until it ended in October. Carter lost the 1980 election in November. With his disapproval rating on immigration at over 60%, President Biden must have had that loss in mind when he rushed to the Southern border on Feb. 29th, choosing to visit one of the least problematic entry points compared to say Tucson or San Diego. Pretty photo ops don't fool anyone, least of all the taxpayers in New York City who footed the $1.45 billion cost of housing 178,000 migrants in 2023. What then has the total cost been to taxpayers providing for those millions of migrants across the country that have entered since Biden has taken office? Your guess is as good as mine on just one of the many repercussions from that stack of executive orders Biden signed on day one. — Jane Ramirez, Salinas