Back in the early 1970s, I was a teenage sailor stationed on the USS Kitty Hawk when the aircraft carrier was moored in San Diego. I was a frequent visitor to Tijuana, Mexico, at the time and I crossed over the border many times. 

There were illegal aliens surreptitiously crossing into the U.S. then, although the number was small compared to today. And there were Mexican drug gangs slinging drugs into the U.S., but they were pikers compared to today’s powerful and deadly drug cartels. 

Today, the near-open border is a national security issue and a presidential campaign issue, as the illegal immigrants, including the criminal element among them, and the deadly drugs find their way to points north, including Philadelphia. 

As we have seen too often in Kensington, the fentanyl that is killing Philadelphians comes from the southern side of the U.S. border. And the illegals who find their way to Philadelphia, a sanctuary city, are costing city taxpayers a goodly amount of money in school, hospital and other social services. And some of the illegals are hardened criminals. 

Although Democrats have noted that illegal aliens commit far less crime than native-born Americans, do we really need to import more criminals? Also, those illegally crossing the border are hardly vetted. The migrants generally do not have  proper identification, so we don’t really know who is a criminal or terrorist. Yet, they are released into the U.S.     

Having performed security work as a young sailor in the U.S. Navy and later as a Defense Department civilian employee, I know that good security must be in layers. Security of the border must be much more than a wall, but a wall is a good start. 

Along with a completed border wall, there must also be electronic sensors with Border Patrol special agents and police officers monitoring and responding to the sensors. 

I like the idea of the border states, like Texas, taking on the first line of border protection, using their state and local police and, if necessary, their National Guard. The Feds can offer law enforcement grants that provide money for the increase hiring of state and local officers and equipment.

Along with the economy, former President Trump has made the border crisis a major 2024 campaign issue.       

According to the 2024 Republican Platform, the Trump administration will “seal the border and stop the migrant invasion.”

The platform notes that the Republicans will offer “an aggressive plan to stop the open-border policies that have opened the floodgates to a tidal wave of illegal Aliens, deadly drugs, and Migrant Crime. We will end the Invasion at the Southern Border, restore Law and Order, protect American Sovereignty, and deliver a Safe and Prosperous Future for all Americans.”

The GOP platform offers a six-point plan:  

1. Secure the Border Republicans will restore every Border Policy of the Trump administration and halt all releases of Illegal Aliens into the interior. We will complete the Border Wall, shift massive portions of Federal Law Enforcement to Immigration Enforcement, and use advanced technology to monitor and secure the Border. We will use all resources needed to stop the Invasion— including moving thousands of Troops currently stationed overseas to our own Southern Border. We will deploy the U.S. Navy to impose a full Fentanyl Blockade on the waters of our Region—boarding and inspecting ships to look for fentanyl and fentanyl precursors. Before we defend the Borders of Foreign Countries, we must first secure the Border of our Country. 

2. Enforce Immigration Laws Republicans will strengthen ICE, increase penalties for illegal entry and overstaying Visas, and reinstate “Remain in Mexico” and other Policies that helped reduce Illegal Immigration by historic lows in President Trump’s first term. We will also invoke the Alien Enemies Act to remove all known or suspected gang members, drug dealers, or cartel members from the United States, ending the scourge of Illegal Alien gang violence once and for all. We will bring back the Travel Ban and use Title 42 to end the child trafficking crisis by returning all trafficked children to their families in their Home Countries immediately. 

3. Begin Largest Deportation Program in American History President Trump and Republicans will reverse the Democrats’ destructive Open Borders Policies that have allowed criminal gangs and Illegal Aliens from around the World to roam the United States without consequences. The Republican Party is committed to sending Illegal Aliens back home and removing those who have violated our Laws. 

4. Strict Vetting Republicans will use existing Federal Law to keep foreign Christian-hating Communists, Marxists, and Socialists out of America. Those who join our Country must love our Country. We will use extreme vetting to ensure that jihadists and jihadist sympathizers are not admitted. 

5. Stop Sanctuary Cities Republicans will cut federal Funding to sanctuary jurisdictions that release dangerous Illegal Alien criminals onto our streets, rather than handing them over to ICE. We will require local cooperation with Federal Immigration Enforcement. 

6. Ensure Our Legal Immigration System Puts American Workers First Republicans will prioritize Merit-based immigration, ensuring those admitted to our Country contribute positively to our Society and Economy, and never become a drain on Public Resources. We will end Chain Migration, and put American Workers first.”

The GOP platform states the Trump administration will begin the largest deportation program in American history, but if you ask any plumber they will tell you that you must plug the leak before you bail out the water. 

We need to first secure the border and stop the flow of criminals, terrorists and deadly narcotics to cities such as Philadelphia.

Paul Davis, a Philadelphia writer and frequent contributor to Broad + Liberty, also contributes to Counterterrorism magazine and writes the “On Crime” column for the Washington Times. He can be reached at pauldavisoncrime.com.