Is Trump right that Biden is ‘destroying the country’ with border actions?

Andrew (No)

The Trump Administration took abhorrent actions that caged and separated migrant children from their families, forcing migrants to spend months in squalid camps; this simply cannot be the price for national security. Four years of former President Trump's inhumane, wasteful, and ineffective border policies have demonstrated that he is totally unqualified to pass judgment on effective border policy. If the United States is to globally maintain a position of integrity, President Biden has no choice but to eliminate these barbaric policies immediately. If their removal leads to more migrants attempting to cross into the United States, the blame lies with the Trump Administration for creating such an untenable situation.

While there has been a recent sharp increase in migrants arriving at our Southern border, the notion that they will 'destroy the country' is wildly inaccurate and rooted in a sinister worldview. Former President Trump and many of his followers seem to view that everyone attempting to come into our country is coming to harm native citizens. This is xenophobia, pure and simple. The former president uses the thinly veiled threat of migrants causing harm to carry out his racist agenda. Migrants come to the United States for many reasons; many seek economic opportunity, while others may be fleeing violence. The truth is that immigrants commit crimes at lower rates than the general population and are largely here for a chance at a better life. Former President Trump is wrong to conflate his xenophobic ideas with a genuine interest in national security.  

Stephanie (Yes)

Former President Trump made several excellent points supporting the notion that President Biden's immigration policies are 'destroying our country.' The sheer number of migrants Biden is allowing to enter and remain in the country is undeniably excessive, with Customs and Border Protection acknowledging that 'the numbers of migrants have gone up tremendously since Biden took office.' Biden's failure to admit the severity of the border crisis is also concerning, given the almost unavoidable possibility that it will motivate even more immigrants to come to the US. Trump criticized the Biden administration's fault in this, saying that 'the whole world will come [to America]' if we have loose border control policies.

In reversing many of Trump's policies, Biden is undoing many positive moves that the former president did for the country, most notably relating to border security. Above all, the current border security issue is potentially detrimental for the American people. Democrats argue that it is a humanitarian issue; however, allowing it to occur is another example of the political left following through with actions that fail to consider Americans. As Trump noted, the open border that Biden allows to occur is dangerous, as it will enable criminals such as 'murderers and sex traffickers' to enter the country.

Of course, Covid-related issues must also be considered. Regardless of one's opinion on increased immigration, the importance of keeping the nation safe and healthy must be a priority. Having a wide-open border does the opposite of this and can easily be considered risky and destructive, already seen in the at least 50 migrants who tested positive for the virus.