Congress Must Act: America’s Safety Hinges on Border Security, Not Presidential Promises | Opinion

If your wife is anything like mine, she digs deep to uncover the truth. She watches the news, listens to podcasts, and reads extensively, always searching for facts. Like many Americans, she’s realized that some in the media are peddling “truths” designed to serve the interests of a person, an agenda, or an entity. Some are even asking her to disbelieve her own eyes.

Nowhere is this phenomenon more apparent than when it comes to border security.

Just the other day, I came across a Washington Post article that repeated the tired claim: Immigrants commit crimes at a lower rate than U.S. citizens. The goal of the piece was to undermine Donald Trump’s positions on illegal immigration. But here’s the thing—the claim itself is suspect at best, especially given the lack of reliable data over the past few years. It’s a red herring, meant to distract you and make you second-guess what you’re seeing with your own eyes.

The truth is straightforward: cAnd the enrichment of violent Mexican cartels? It should have been avoidable.

But because significant portions of the mainstream media have convinced too many Americans to disbelieve what they see with their own eyes, all these tragedies have occurred—and at an alarming rate.

In recent weeks, polls have shown another shift in voters’ sentiment and who they may vote for in the presidential race and down the ballots in swing states. Why? Because the spin is losing its luster, and people are returning to their own observations and experiences.

Americans are waking up to the facts: Their dollar doesn’t stretch nearly as far as it did a few years ago. Crime in cities is spiraling out of control. The world is becoming more dangerous by the day.

And yes, the southern border is wide open.

People are starting to realize that the lies aren’t coming from their own eyes—they’re coming from much of the mainstream media.

When it comes to border security, the solution isn’t complicated. It requires strong policy, and in the immediate term, that will make a difference. But policy alone isn’t enough. If we depend solely on executive actions, we’re left at the mercy of whoever occupies the Oval Office.

Over the past few years, we’ve seen just how dangerous that can be.

The long-term solution has to come from Congress. We need proper legislation that removes total control of border security from the hands of a single president. This legislation must allow for the implementation of updated policies and ensure our borders remain secure, regardless of which administration is in power.

My wife, like many of you, has learned that the truth is out there. She doesn’t need to rely on the mainstream media, which will push any narrative that boosts their bottom line. Instead, she fact-checks what she hears against what she sees with her own eyes.

And you can do the same—trust in what you see because your own eyes aren’t lying to you.

Brandon Judd is former President of the National Border Patrol Council and a former Border Patrol agent.

The views expressed in this article are the writer’s own.