The Harsh Reality of the U.S. Southern Border Crisis: Tackling the Gray Rhino with Effective Policy

Almost every few weeks, we hear on the news about the border crisis, but have we as a nation really considered why this story is constantly replayed on TV? Think about it, we live in an interconnected and globalized world, that is burdened by the polarization of numerous world crisis, propped up by the 24-hour media news cycle. I would even go as far to say that globalization has uniquely tied together the world we all live. So, with that said, I believe it’s fair to say, that when a nation such as the United States fails to address problems through the implementation of sound immigration policy, the impact resonates worldwide. Thus, I would argue that when problems arise, whether domestic or international, they are not an unforeseen coincidence, but rather, as Wucker (2016) coined, a ‘Gray Rhino’. The illegal immigration crisis seen now on the U.S.-Mexican border, involving South/Latin American countries fleeing their homes for a better life in America, is an example of a Gray-Rhino. Gray-Rhinos are issues that are seen and acknowledged, yet leaders, nations, and states do nothing about more minor issues which come about until it all comes rushing toward them. A Gray Rhino is a metaphor for something big coming directly at you while providing a choice on whether to act. According to Wucker (2016), “for a Gray Rhino to exist, enough has to have gone wrong that a threat is looming, and a crisis becomes highly probable.”

With this context in-place, I think it is fair to state that such a matter is presented on the U.S.-Mexico border, where thousands of migrants illegally enter the United States annually in search of something not had in their own countries. It is also important to note that immigration has been an ongoing debate throughout the U.S. for years, with the polarization of immigration focused on illegal immigration first coming to a head during the former Obama administration and then into the former Trump administration. According to Smolarek (2007), "The United States Census Bureau estimates that about 11.5 million undocumented immigrants are living in our country; about 75 percent of them are from somewhere in Latin America.”

In a recent CNN article, it was mentioned that in fiscal year (FY) 2022, the Customs and Border Patrol encountered over 2 million migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border and stated, “Failing communist regimes in Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba are driving a new wave of migration across the Western Hemisphere, including the recent increase in encounters at the southwest U.S. border” (Alvarez, 2022). Ultimately, due to the lack of Congressional established national law on immigration, U.S. presidents have the authority to utilize their executive order (E.O.) tools to impact immigration policy based on the administration political party in-office, which was the case between Mr. Obama and Mr. Trump. During the Obama administration, he implemented the Priority Enforcement Program (PEP), which only allowed federal immigration law enforcement to target for arrest and removal of illegal immigrants that were already convicted of a crime or those pending conviction (Leisy et al., 2017). While the Trump Administration took a more hardline approach under EO 13768, which allowed federal immigration law enforcement officers to target all criminal aliens who entered the U.S. illegally (Leisy et al., 2017, p. 694). Although both Obama and Trump, two former presidents, attempted to implement immigration policy, neither policy considered the border policy concerns associated with immigration policy.

According to Wucker (2016), there are five stages pertaining to a Gray Rhino. It can be argued that these five stages can be implicated by how U.S. current and previous immigration policies have failed to address the border concerns on root causes associated with illegal immigration into the U.S. The first stage is Denial; the U.S. government, dependent on the administration in office, has attempted to paint illegal immigration as inconsequential, thus sometimes mitigating the national/societal debate on the issue. The second is Muddling; the U.S. government and policymakers are well-aware of the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border and the extreme poverty, lack of government trust in institutions, and lack of opportunity in South/Latin American countries. Still, no policies addressing significant investment into South/Latin American countries have been made to create change that could potentially reduce the flow of illegal migrants into the U.S. The third approach is political will, as discussed, pertaining to the last two U.S. presidential administrations. Although both Obama and Trump implemented executive actions on immigration, Congress never established a substantiative Congressional immigration policy. Suppose Congress were to address the immigration crisis with policy. In that case, they should ensure its impactful through a range of solutions, including investment into South/Latin American governments/institutions, aiming to help these countries create jobs that would foster a sense of opportunity, trust, and belonging and work with these governments to maintain a cooperative relationship in the enforcement of each state’s immigration laws. The fourth stage is Diagnosis; it can be argued that the U.S. is not at this stage. The new Biden administration took office and thus far has shown no political will to adequately address the board concerns surrounding immigration as an international aspect of reducing illegal immigration. Illegal immigration into the U.S. hurts our institutions by overburdening our systems and allowing for polarization in our state. The fifth approach is Panic; there is a strong chance that the U.S. may find itself in this arena if no actual actions continue to be made to address the overarching illegal immigration issues plaguing the nation. If leaders continue to do nothing, the U.S. could find itself in a state of panic, in which hasty policy must be created that may do more harm than good and further exacerbate the immigration issues at hand today.

My Conclusion

The Gray Rhino is more than a warning to leaders to act on an issue; instead, it is a result of inaction, which leads to the emergence of a Rhino about to run through a state. Not allowing the Rhino to get within sight would be the best approach to preventing catastrophes that can adversely impact society. Still, recognizing we are humans and are incapable of being perfect, at least we can do as leaders, as a society, and as a globalized and interconnected society is speak up, demand change, and act. When a leader, state, or government allows the Gray Rhino to be within view, it should immediately seek answers and take broad actions, keeping in mind the overarching concerns associated with those acts. The U.S. is currently posed with its Gray Rhino regarding illegal immigration; what actions happen next can have a profound impact, not only in the U.S. but internationally.

Please share your thoughts on the topic, what solutions do you have? What policy can be passed?

Reference

Alaverez, P. (2022). U.S. border encounters jump amid increased migration from Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba. Retrieved from, https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/19/politics/border-encounters-top-2-million-fiscal-year.

ICE. (2017b). Priority enforcement program. Retrieved from https://www.ice.gov/pep.

Leisy, A., Mat, C., Daniel E., M., Cecilia, M., & Jeremy, S. (2017). Making Immigrants into

Criminals: Legal Processes of Criminalization in the Post-IIRIRA Era. Journal On Migration and Human Security, 5(3) (2017), (3), doi:10.14240/jmhs.v5i3.105.

Michele Wucker. The Gray Rhino. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2016.

Smolarek, B. (2007). Causes and effects of Guatemalan immigration to the United States.

Retrieved from, https://www.uwlax.edu/globalassets/offices-services/urc/jur-online/pdf/2007/smolarek.pdf.

Whitehouse. (2017). Executive Order: Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United

States. Retrieved from https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidentialactions/executive-order-enhancing-public-safety-interior-united-states/.