Whether illegal immigration has gotten substantially better or substantially worse in the last year depended on whether you were watching CBS or Fox News.
After Fox & Friends hosted a segment to discuss the recent surges in illegal border crossings in the last few months on Christmas Eve morning, about an hour later, CBS This Morning ran a brief informing viewers that border arrests were down overall in 2020 in part because of the pandemic, but without mentioning the most recent worsening of the situation.
At 6:41 a.m. Eastern, Fox News fill-in co-host Griff Jenkins set up the segment: "Let's turn to the border with apprehensions on the rise along the Southern border in recent months. President-elect Joe Biden announced this week that he would not roll back Trump-era border measures on day one of his administration."
Then came a couple of clips of President-elect Joe Biden cautioning against implementing too quickly his promises to be more lax on border enforcement:
The last thing we need is to say we are going to stop immediately the, you know, the access to asylum the way it's being run now and end up with two million people on our border. (editing jump) It will get done, and it will get done quickly. But it's not going to be able to be done on day one.
After bringing aboard the acting commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, Mark Morgan, Jenkins listed some of the liberal reforms promised by Biden:
...if you look at ... a list here of the 100-day plan on immigration that Biden said he was going to do which includes, of course, first and foremost, ending wall construction; ending the "remain in Mexico" policy; ending the limits on refugee admissions; end detention of migrants; end the metering at the border; end restrictions on asylum seekers; and halt deportations for a 100-day moratorium.
Morgan argued that smugglers are already inspiring more migrants to cross the border illegally because of expectations that it will soon become easier get into the U.S. and stay indefinitely. He later pointed out that, last year, CBP was forced to release 230,000 illegal border crossers into the country because of the entangling laws and legal precedents that give illegal aliens the legal ability to resist being deported quickly.
The most recent statistics on border arrests released by CBP show that the recent high numbers in November were the highest that they've been in the month of November in at least the last six years -- even higher than the surge that began in late 2017. Numbers in September and October were also unusually high.
But, a little over an hour later, CBS news reader Vladimir Duthiers cited a report on overall illegal immigration statistics for the year, making the situation sound much rosier:
A new report from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement reveals the impact the pandemic has had on border arrests and deportations. The agency deported more than 185,000 people in 2020. That is down 30 percent from the previous year and the lowest number in more than a decade. ICE arrested nearly 104,000 this year -- that's a 28 percent drop from 2019, and by far the lowest arrest numbers since President Trump took office. ICE says deportations fell partly because of a pandemic policy change, making them unnecessary.
No mention was made of the recent surge in illegal border crossings.
This episode of CBS This Morning was sponsored in part by Lysol. Their contact information is linked.
Transcripts follow:
Fox News Channel
Fox & Friends
December 24, 2020
6:41 a.m. Eastern
GRIFF JENKINS: Let's turn to the border with apprehensions on the rise along the Southern border in recent months. President-elect Joe Biden announced this week that he would not roll back Trump-era border measures on day one of his administration. Listen.
PRESIDENT-ELECT JOE BIDEN: The last thing we need is to say we are going to stop immediately the, you know, the access to asylum the way it's being run now and end up with two million people on our border. (editing jump) It will get done, and it will get done quickly. But it's not going to be able to be done on day one.
JENKINS: Joining me now, Acting U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Mark Morgan. Mr. Commissioner, happy Christmas Eve to you. ... Let's quickly show as we look forward to the Biden administration, if you look at built a list here of the 100-day plan on immigration that Biden said he was going to do which includes, of course, first and foremost, ending wall construction; ending the "remain in Mexico" policy; ending the limits on refugee admissions; end detention of migrants; end the metering at the border; end restrictions on asylum seekers; and halt deportations for a 100-day moratorium. Mr. Commissioner, what sort of impact can we expect now?
MARK MORGAN, U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION ACTING COMMISSIONER: Let's not forget providing amnesty to millions of people, expanding DACA, and providing free health care to everyone that's here illegally. Look, that's clear. That is not an immigration strategy. That is an open border strategy. And, Griff, it's already happening.
The surge has already begun. The smugglers and cartels are already fueling perception that, under a new administration, our borders will be wide open, and they're already coming. Caravans are already forming with, quote, not my words, but words from those that are going to illegally enter the country: "We're coming because the potential a new administration is going to open the border."
(...)
CBS This Morning
December 24, 2020
7:47 a.m. Eastern
VLADIMIR DUTHIERS: A new report from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement reveals the impact the pandemic has had on border arrests and deportations. The agency deported more than 185,000 people in 2020. That is down 30 percent from the previous year and the lowest number in more than a decade. ICE arrested nearly 104,000 this year -- that's a 28 percent drop from 2019, and by far the lowest arrest numbers since President Trump took office. ICE says deportations fell partly because of a pandemic policy change, making them unnecessary.
