Does illegal immigration threaten national security?

Sam (No)

Undocumented immigrants bolster the American economy through their work in key industries (agriculture, construction, hospitality, manufacturing), spending power, and tax dollars. They provide the country with additional economic security, a major factor in national security. Accordingly, the US Homeland Security Threat Assessment for 2024 states, “America’s prosperity and economic security are integral to homeland security.” Thus, undocumented immigrants may act as an asset to national security in some instances rather than a threat.

Many people in the public believe the narrative that undocumented immigrants contribute to higher crime rates and, therefore, illegal immigration is a threat to national security. Some of these attitudes result from the influence of right-leaning media that exaggerates the criminal activity of undocumented immigrants, causing the public to have more fearful attitudes over illegal immigration and its impact on national security. Yet, there is no verifiable evidence to support this claim. Notably, some studies have shown the opposite to be true, with undocumented immigrants having lower felony arrest rates than US-born citizens.

Considering undocumented immigrants a “threat” contributes to the dehumanization and persecution of undocumented immigrants and even legal citizens who are similar demographically to certain populations of undocumented immigrants. Dehumanizing undocumented immigrants also normalizes more extreme views on how to handle immigration that doesn’t adhere to accepted standards of humane treatment. For example, public pressure to limit immigration has caused the US to restrict immigration in ways that go against the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, expressly by making it harder for asylum seekers to enter or stay in the country. Immigrants only add to the richness of the country they inhabit. To assert otherwise is baseless fear-mongering.

Curtice (Yes)

The United States—or any country—must have the power to control its sovereignty and its destiny. The abysmal failure of the US to control its southern border and stem the tide of illegal immigration, which rose sharply from 2021-2024, makes that much more difficult. As a result, having absorbed upwards of 11 million illegal immigrants does indeed threaten America's national security.  

Further, it contributes to the broader erosion of an international order based on national sovereignty. Open borders that allow illegal immigrants to cross with little consideration of getting apprehended invite criminal activity. Many criminals are caught at the border and released, and tracking by federal authorities is either weak or nonexistent. One need only read recent headlines concerning the assault of a New York City police officer or the murder of a female college student, both allegedly committed by illegal immigrants, to see a glimpse of that criminal activity.

But it doesn’t stop there. Today, the best and easiest way for a potential terrorist to enter the country is through our southern border. Such weak border enforcement has emboldened Mexican criminal gangs and human smugglers. Thanks to our inability to control the border, drugs, particularly synthetic opioids, such as Fentanyl, have exploded in the United States and are responsible for killing thousands of Americans since 2016.

Human trafficking rings, kidnapping, and sex trafficking have all dramatically increased due to weak border enforcement, leading to high numbers of illegal immigrants entering the United States. Human trafficking rings could barely exist without such a wide open border. Stemming illegal immigration goes hand-in-hand with stemming national security threats or harm toward the American people.