Bloomberg Editorial: Troops Won’t Solve Border Issues

Bloomberg’s editorial board on Friday wrote that President Joe Biden’s plan to send about 1,500 active duty service members to the southern border is not enough to help prepare for a likely surge this summer.

The board wrote that “the administration is scrambling to respond” to the upcoming expiration of Title 42 and the increasing number of people gathering at the border looking to enter the United States. The Biden administration recently announced plans not only to send troops to the border but also to open processing centers in South and Central America, first in Guatemala and Colombia, to help streamline immigration.

Bloomberg’s editorial board describes these actions as “welcome — and long overdue. If adequately funded and enforced, they have the potential to ease burdens on border authorities, reduce overcrowding in detention facilities, and undermine the business model for smugglers.”

However, the board notes that “Congress also needs to step up” and recommends that Democrats “engage with” a Republican immigration package that pushes to finish the border wall, increase funding for recruitment and retention of Border Patrol agents, improving border security technology, and other measures.

The editorial concludes: “America needs more immigrants — but also a better system for controlling the border and enforcing the law. The expiration of Title 42 offers a window of opportunity to implement much-needed fixes. Both parties should seize it.”