Disproving and Dissecting 4 Myths About The US Border and Migrants

US Border in Brownsville, TX

Especially as we approach the US election, the border has erupted controversy, scrutiny, and contention. With such, a pervasive amount of misinformation, misrepresentation, and dehumanization has emerged. In this article, I will dissect such myths through a human-focused lens in the context of my 1-week at the border in July.

Myth #1: We have an “open border”

This myth is a grave mischaracterization, that, for the most part, is false. The number of unauthorized (“illegal”) migrants in the US has remained mostly stable from 2015-2022, jumping between 10 and 11 million (pewresearch.org).

The origin of this myth is that in 2023, we saw the most migrant encounters at the border (pewresearch.org). Yet, encounters at the border do not directly correlate to people entering the country, most of these people were deported or denied.  

We have seen a slight uptick in unauthorized migration in the past two years; some sources predict that there are 14 million unauthorized immigrants as of March 2024. However, not only is this number far from the 10’s of millions uncredited people claim but, more importantly, this number is not because we have an “open border."

Border Patrol is as strong as ever. A combination of steel walls chained together by barbed wire, surveillance technology, drones, blimps, and 20,000 US Border Patrol agents patrolling in trucks surveil the border 24/7. In 2023, 3.2 immigrants were turned away or apprehended, and more than 2 million were caught entering illegally (usafacts.org). 

US Border Entrance in McAllen, TX

There are two major causes for the uptick in unauthorized migrants. Firstly, there are simply more and more people arriving at our border; more people are willing to risk being kidnapped by cartels, extorted by corrupt Mexican authorities, and being put in danger by traveling thousands of miles, sometimes on foot, to try to enter the country.

Nevertheless, most migrants are trying to do the right thing and enter legally, bringing us to the second reason. After Biden’s Executive order in June, for the most part, the only way for migrants to legally enter the country at the border is through the CBP-1 App. The app allows one to petition for an appointment to enter our country for a limited time, if accepted, from north of Mexico City. Appointments are given out in a sort of lottery that favors those who have been waiting the longest. Wait times are nearing up to 8 months currently. Migrants, for the most part, are waiting in tent encampments and shelters on the border, mostly in dangerous cities controlled by cartels.

Senda de Vida 2 in Matamors, Mexico

In the time we spent there, we met people like Emma, who after waiting more than 8 months living in a tent, missed her appointment after being kidnapped by the local cartel and had to restart the process all over again. Stories like Emma’s are common among migrants.

It is no surprise that, out of desperation, some migrants try to cross illegally; we talked with pregnant mothers, people being persecuted by the cartel, and other vulnerable cases who realized they had no choice but to cross illegally. Additionally, some migrants don’t even know about the CBP-1 App and are misinformed about crossing the river. 

It is also important to note that these issues were prevalent even before the executive order in June. Before, there were slightly more CBP-1 appointments—which don’t guarantee a person can stay after 2 years, most being deported—and there were slightly more pathways for vulnerable cases—yet not nearly enough for the plethora that arrives every day. 

So, yes, we have seen an uptick in unauthorized migration. But, the reasons and scale of it are more different and complex than what the American public understands. And, we most definitely do not have an open border. What we do have is millions of honest people and families—dehumanized by the American public—waiting patiently to enter legally and start a new life and some who, out of desperation or misinformation, have no choice but to risk it all and cross. 

Myth #2: The people entering our country are here to commit crimes and bring drugs into our country. 

This is simply a racist stereotype. Immigrants are 30 percent less likely to be incarcerated than U.S.-born individuals who are white (siepr.stanford.edu). Sanctuary cities for migrants are statistically safer (npr.org) and border communities are also safer than non-border cities (https://cuellar.house.gov).

When it comes to drugs, over 90 percent of fentanyl and over 80 percent of total illegal narcotics arrive at legal points of entry and are smuggled largely by American citizens (thehill.com). In December 2022, out of the record 4,500 pounds of fentanyl CBP seized, just 5 of those pounds were seized at non-checkpoints part of the border by Border Patrol (connolly.house.gov).

US Border Entrance (side, main entrance to the left) in McAllen, TX

Most migrants are fleeing cartel violence and crime. Joel, a father of 4, left Ecuador because the cartels were threatening him and his brother to join them; he chose to get his family out of crime. Joel was also kidnapped by Mexican cartels on his journey north and paid $15,000 to be released and not have his organs stolen. A story like Joel's is not a rare occurrence when talking to migrants. Most, like Stephen, an engineering student, are migrating to learn and work. Stephen talked to us about how every day he wakes up and practices English, regardless of whether the internet in the tent encampments fails or not. His English was amazing and he entered legally after waiting 8 months shortly after we left.

Additionally, if a migrant enters legally through the CBP-1 App, part of the process for them being allowed is a criminal history verification—any record makes it impossible for a migrant to enter.

Yes, some extremely limited fraction of migrants commit crimes, as there are fractions in every categorization of people that commit crimes. However, as mentioned before, migrants are even less likely to commit crimes than US-born individuals. We, a nation that prides itself on the American Dream, should not allow the single story of such cases to stop us from helping a grand majority of hardworking and honest people searching for a better life.

Myth #3: Migrants are lazy, stupid, and here to steal jobs.

Similar to the previous myth, this myth is simply a racist stereotype. The unemployment rate in 2023 was 3.6% for both native and foreign-born workers. Despite the increase in arriving migrants, immigration is not causing unemployment (bls.gov), especially considering these numbers remain consistent with the unemployment rate before the pandemic and over the last 2 years (bls.gov). 

Immigrants have been and continue to be an integral part of our labor market. Immigration is contributing to strong economic growth; future immigration is predicted to boost real gross domestic product by 2% over the next 10 years and increase government revenue (cbo.gov). 

Legal and unauthorized migrants make up 23% of the nation's nearly 8.2 million workers in food industries (pewresearch.org). As of 2022, 68% of farmworkers are foreign-born (farmworkerjustice.org). Deporting migrants would do the opposite of what some people claim, it would crash our economy and deprive our workforce and food source.

Migrants are also educated and hard workers. 27% of recent Hispanic immigrants to the U.S. ages 25 and older have earned at least a bachelor’s degree in the U.S. or elsewhere – up from 11% in 2000 (pewresearch.org). And, migrants are here to work, regardless of if they have an education or if that education is recognized in the US. Immigrants are 15 percent more likely to work unusual hours than similar U.S.-born workers (newamericaneconomy.org). 

Mauro, Eddy, and Jose (not one mentioned below) waiting to enter in Senda de Vida 2.

We encountered people like Jose, a Venezuelan father of 2 girls who walked from Peru, who, after describing the dead bodies they encountered on their journey and showing us his scars, told us about his plans to start working the day he arrived in San Antonio and asked how he could obtain a work permit. 

It is also important to note how difficult it is for migrants to start working. It costs 470 dollars to get a work permit, a price a lot of migrants can’t afford, especially on top of new expenses like rent, travel, and food. It is not that migrants are lazy, it is that our system is not prepared to empower them to work. The US is missing an opportunity. 

Myth #4: Migrants are here to take welfare and steal votes for it. 

This myth has gained an immense amount of popularity recently, however, still could not be further from the truth. Migrants, legal or unauthorized, are ineligible for most welfare (politifact.com).

Additionally, it has been found that those immigrants who eventually do use welfare are less likely to use welfare benefits than similar native-born Americans. And, when they do use welfare, the dollar value of benefits consumed is smaller (cato.org).

Denise Hernandez, the operations manager at a long-term migrant shelter, La Posada Providencia, talked to us about how the stereotyping of migrants “mooching” is disproved every day in her work. She emphasized how migrants who arrived at the shelter looked to work and empower themselves to independence. Often, it was the resources the shelter provided them that allowed them to become independent, and not live a life of dependency. 

Border near Brownsville, TX

Even with this limited access to welfare, migrants pay an immense amount of taxes. Just undocumented immigrants in the United States paid roughly $35.1 billion in taxes in 2022 (immigrationimpact.com). Immigrants in general, including undocumented immigrants, contribute $382.9 billion to federal taxes and $196.3 billion in state and local taxes (immigrationimpact.com). Even then, as mentioned earlier, migrants entering our border legally through CBP-1 are ineligible for most benefits and, like undocumented migrants, cannot vote.

The myth that migrants are being allowed into our country to rig elections arose in conspiracy groups of X (Twitter). However, the myth gained an immense amount of traction. The myth stemmed from the small number of illegal immigrants getting Social Security cards with work authorization—which, even then, did not permit them to vote, or get benefits because of their status—and how some states use Social Security Cards to verify voters' identity, not register. This myth has been proven false (nbcnews.com).

There are clear and enforced parameters on who can vote, the first one being a U.S. Citizen (usa.gov). And, it is these false narratives gone viral that have a pernicious effect on not only migrants but the US election’s integrity.

Conclusion

In short, we have to be careful with what we hear regarding the border, especially if what we hear dehumanizes migrants in an unhelpful and hateful manner. The border needs to be discussed; our immigration system needs to be revised. However, this is no reason for us to forget the humanity of the people at our border and the importance of factual information.

All photos by Max Gravalesse. Thank you to the Fr. Begley Scholarship for making this possible.