The Border 'Crisis' That Never Really Goes Away
What's actually happening: THE CLAIM: The Hill, citing a new poll, reports that 'over half disapprove of how Trump has handled border security, immigration.' The implication is a public judgment on his effectiveness. THE EVIDENCE: During Trump's tenure, his administration implemented policies like 'zero tolerance,' which led to family separations at the border, a decision widely condemned by human
rights organizations like the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights ( OHCHR, 2018 ). While the poll focuses on 'disapproval,' it doesn't dissect why that disapproval exists – was it for being too harsh, or not harsh enough, from different segments of the population? This critical nuance is often lost. The number of migrant encounters at the Southwest border, for instance, actually increased
significantly towards the end of his term, reaching over 450,000 in fiscal year 2020 ( CBP, 2020 ), up from previous years, suggesting his policies were, in fact, ineffective at reducing overall crossings. THE CONTRADICTIONS: Mainstream media often frames border issues as a test of a president's 'toughness,' rather than as a complex humanitarian and economic challenge. The poll's simplicity belies
the deeply intertwined factors at play – from economic instability and climate change in migrant countries of origin to demand for labor in the U.S. Framing it as a simple 'pass/fail' grade on a president's 'handling' ignores the actual mechanics of immigration. Moreover, the 'border crisis' narrative typically inflates the scale of the issue. While there are certainly challenges, undocumented