Problems at the southern border?

Shannon Bohrer

(9/2022) "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us..." - Charles Dickens in 1859. History does repeat itself, and as many believe, we are currently experiencing.

Our world is facing shortages of goods, inflation, a lack of affordable housing, as well as a pending recession. For many families, the price of shelter and food is rising faster than wages. In these tough economic times, around 70 percent of Americans have $1000 or less in savings, with 34 percent having no savings at all. There is an assumption that tough economic conditions have contributed to the numbers, especially for individuals that earn minimum wages. Conversely, while the poor are focused on survival, the well-to-do are doing well.

These are unusual times, and the economy is only one of many problems we face. As expected, our politicians try to focus our attention on the other party as being responsible for every problem we face. One large problem, a wedge issue, is somewhat related to almost everything is our southern border. The border issues are not resolvable with the proposed solutions from either party.

One party wants a wall and to close the border. The other party wants to allow asylum seekers to enter and to have their cases heard in court. Currently, about one in four asylum cases, about 25,000 a year, are granted. Most are returned to their home country. Neither answer is a solution because the people at the border are not the problem; they are a symptom of a larger worldwide problem.

The immigration issues we have are growing because of an increasing world population coupled with shrinking available resources. The resources are shrinking, primarily because of global warming. Ask yourself; what would make a person(s) pack up a few belongings they can carry and then walk hundreds of miles, or even thousands of miles, leaving their home knowing they might not ever return? Wars, famine, and conditions are so horrible, and they know that if they stay, they won’t survive. These are issues driving immigration and migration around the world.

Immigrations and migration are not short-term issues that can be solved with a border wall or a new immigration policy. In the last several years we have experienced record numbers of people moving around the world. In the first five months of 2021, the Border Patrol encountered around 325,000 migrants. In just one month (April of 2022), Border Agents encountered over 234,000. The numbers reflect a 22-year high, and if the numbers continue, we could be seeing over 3 million migrants at the border this year.

While our congress debates the creation of new immigration laws, with one party against any immigration, the problem only grows. Again, the problem is not the migrants at the border; the problem is why they are at the border. As the earth gets warmer, the growing of crops becomes problematic. People tend to want to live where they can grow food, so they can eat. Adding to this issue of a warming climate are the wars, revolutions, and oppressive governments.

Today, there are an estimated one billion migrants in the world, which is close to 12 percent of the world population. The top destination for international migrants includes the United States, Germany, and Saudi Arabia. It was once said that these are "no ordinary times," and maybe it should be said again. The world has never been so crowded and yet so interconnected at the same time.

In July, the world experienced extreme heat waves and wildfires on multiple continents, breaking record temperatures. The records keep falling, and we keep talking about global warming, but the world's response is slow, yet the long-term consequences are grave.

In the United States, we had a heat wave with temperatures over 100 degrees in numerous cities and states around the nation. Las Vegas set an all-time temperature of 117 degrees, while Death Valley reached 130 degrees. Last year Canada saw a temperature of 121 degrees, and in Spain, this year, the temperature reached 117 degrees. In May of this year, the city of Jacobabad in Pakistan recorded a temperature of 123.8 degrees, while neighboring India recorded 120 degrees in Delhi. And every prediction tells us it will get hotter.

All over the western US, ranchers are selling cattle because of a lack of grazing land due to droughts. The farmers are planting less because of a lack of water. When this was written, Lake Mead was estimated to be at 36 percent capacity. The reservoir decline is because of drought and the obvious fact that water is being used faster than it can be replaced. Lake Mead provides drinking water to 25 million people.

Lake Powell is another but smaller lake providing drinking water. The lake is at a 22-year low, retaining only 24 percent of its water and continues to decline. Lake Powell provides drinking water to an estimated 15 million people.

Lake Mead and lake Powell are just two examples of the numerous water issues, from California to the Rocky Mountains. The lack of water is becoming a critical issue, especially in California and the southwest. Where will the 40 million people move if both lakes dry up?

Of course, while we experience the droughts, we also have floods in Kentucky, Yellowstone National Park, and Death Valley. Yes, Death Valley flooded this summer. When five hundred- and one-thousand-year floods occur frequently, that is a clue.

Inflation, a lack of affordable housing and even a recession are all valid issues. When someone cannot find a place to live, when they cannot afford the basic needs of living, they focus on the present. However, all of those basic needs are interconnected with global warming, the issue that affects everything.

While we focus on our southern border, a larger issue could be the internal migration within our own borders and in numbers that we have neither expected nor for which we planned. Yes, we could have several million people at our southern border each year, but we could also have tens of millions moving internally.

"What is the use of a house if you haven't got a tolerable planet to put it on?" - Henry David Thoreau