The dangerous consequences of Biden's border crisis

In mid-March, an illegal immigrant was arrested for viciously stabbing two people outside a laundromat in O'Fallon, Mo. It's just one of the many examples of the dangerous consequences of President Joe Biden's border crisis, which has turned every state into a border state. Unfortunately, Biden continues to ignore Americans' concerns and their demands for this administration to do what's necessary to end this crisis and make our border -- and communities -- safe again.

The most dangerous and deadly aspect of the border crisis is the massive amount of fentanyl -- the leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 18 and 45 -- that's flooding our towns and cities. Since Biden took office in January of 2021, more than 54,366 pounds of fentanyl, which is up to 50 times stronger than heroin, have been intercepted crossing American borders. But that doesn't paint the full picture. Federal officials estimate they are only intercepting 5-10% of what's smuggled into the U.S. There's no question that tough border policies are critical to stopping the flow of deadly drugs that are destroying our communities.

Biden's border crisis is also a major cause of concern when it comes to national security. More than 340 suspected terrorists have been caught trying to cross the border under Biden -- that's more than the entire four years of the Trump administration COMBINED. And since October, more than 20,000 Communist Chinese nationals have illegally crossed the border. What's even more concerning is that single adult males of military age make up the majority of these Chinese nationals. "That is a very scary prospect, we know that China does not like us, we know that we are in the crosshairs of China," said the president of the National Border Patrol Council, which represents Border Patrol agents nationwide.

Biden could bring an end to the crisis he created by simply bringing back former President Donald Trump's effective immigration agenda. Unfortunately, he has made clear that he won't. His so-called solution is an immigration bill that, as he knows full well, doesn't have the votes to pass Congress. But it's important to remember that he can take action right now to get the crisis under control by simply bringing back the numerous effective immigration policies he got rid of for no other reason than the fact they were Trump's. These are the policies that he eliminated starting on Day One of his administration using executive action -- policies that could easily be restored to get ahold of the chaos at the border.

Washington Democrats think they can fool you into believing that they actually care about border security. But the American people aren't stupid. They know that Biden and Washington Democrats -- not Republicans in Congress or Trump -- are responsible for the invasion of our southern border.

Americans are sick and tired of paying the price for Biden's border crisis, whether it's fentanyl flooding into our communities, illegal immigrants committing violent crimes against innocent people, or foreign nationals sneaking into the U.S. and putting our national security at risk. For as long as I'm in Congress, I will always fight to advance the policies we need to secure the border and keep families safe.

Jason Smith (R-MO) represents the eighth congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives.