VIEWPOINT: Illegal immigration is undermining prosperity in South Dakota

Guest column by Keith Moore, Americans for Prosperity

Americans living in border states are far from the only ones exposed to the dangerous consequences of an unsecure southern border. Under President Biden’s watch, even South Dakota communities are suffering from a massive surge of illegal, undocumented foreigners spilling into the state all the way from the U.S.-Mexico border. If the federal government refuses to secure the southern border, state lawmakers will need to step in and protect their constituents at state lines instead. But state lawmakers must act swiftly.  

A strong border is essential to protecting every South Dakotan. Between 2006 and 2020, the United States spent more on border enforcement than it has for all the five main criminal law enforcement agencies at the federal level combined. But it’s clear that mere spending hasn’t solved the problem of illegal immigration or prevented drugs and crime from reaching remote parts of the country. A 2019 DHS report found that U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents diverted 40 to 60 percent of its force away from border security operations to process migrant families instead, a move that left the border and American families even more exposed than before.  

VIEWPOINTS: Immigration question shouldn't stop at border