It has been reported that the illegal immigration population has grown exponentially over the past two years, according to many of the public data sources.  According to the Pew Research Group, encounters with illegals crossing the US borders reached new highs during 2022 and 2023. The number of applicants waiting for court decisions on asylum claims increased by one million by the end of 2023.

To top it off, over 500,000 new ‘immigrants’ were paroled into our country through two federal programs: the Cuban & Haitian Program and the Nicaraguan & Venezuelan (CHNV) Programs. These immigrants do not show up in the normally reported unauthorized immigration population.

So what is going on down at our southern border? Why are so many immigrants rushing to get into the country? What is the process that is being overwhelmed? Here is the scoop.

According to research by NBC NEWS, nearly 600,00 immigrants, crossing our border since 2021, have been released into the country without receiving what is called a charging date. Immigrants coming into this country receive a charging date, which tells them when they are to appear in court to plea for asylum.

However, ICE and other Border officials are so overwhelmed that they have allowed many to cross into our country with a lack of charging documents. Left on their own, these migrants spread across the country in legal limbo without a court date to determine whether they can legally stay in the U.S., Many are hiding, unable to work and unaware that they are passing their one-year eligibility deadline to apply for asylum.

Many of the illegal immigrants recorded initially into the crossing, and are waiting to hear from our Border officials, are actually dropped from the rolls. There are too many to process and too few to do it.

On the federal level, the immigrants flooding into our country, taking jobs and opportunities from our legal work-force. But these people are contributing up to $37.5 to the federal tax coffers. However, the majority of impact will be felt on the state and local levels:

• Local jobs will be given to illegals to save wage costs.

• The estimated cost to state and local budgets for housing, education and health care will exceed $21 billion.

• Homelessness is on the rise in cities and towns, making safety and sanitation a huge concern.

• Crime within the local residences is rising (despite the reports being issued by our government).

• Human trafficking is rising.In the U.S., immigrants, especially immigrant women, make up the largest portion of trafficking victims. The Department of State estimates than in 2016, 57,700 victims had been trafficked into the U.S. annually. The true number is likely much larger and impossible to determine.

• The impact on the local towns trying to deal with the sudden influx of immigrants is going to hit everyone’s pocketbook.

• The federal government benefits financially on paper, but it does not report all that takes place because it does not know or does not want to know! The trickle-down effect at the state and local levels does not equal the gain in taxation that the federal government receives.

It is imperative that citizens contact their local officials and get involved with school boards, township meetings, and regional meetings like the Berks County Patriots to keep informed about what is happening on their local levels!