The Patriot Post® · Border Crossers Want Jobs, Not Sanctuary

A recent study on migration from the Migration Policy Institute and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has concluded what many Americans have long known — the number one reason the vast majority of migrants enter the U.S. illegally is for employment.

The study was based upon an in-person survey of some 5,000 individuals combined with another online survey that garnered 6,000 responses. Again, it found that the primary factor pushing people to migrate to the U.S. was jobs. Analysts noted, “Low wages, unemployment and insufficient income to cover basic necessities directly affected people’s livelihoods and contributed significantly to the desire to emigrate.”

Furthermore, the study found that some 30% of households in three countries — El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala — relied on money sent to them from household members working in the U.S.

The report flies in the face of the Biden administration’s narrative on migration, which is that the primary “root causes” for illegal migration are violence and insecurity. The administration uses this narrative to label these individuals as asylum-seekers. In reality, the vast majority are job-seekers.

Kamala Harris, Joe Biden’s border czar, recently produced a report of her own in which she claimed, “The COVID-19 pandemic and extreme weather conditions have indeed exacerbated the root causes of migration — which include corruption, violence, trafficking and poverty.” That was clearly not the conclusion of MIT’s report, and when asked about it, Harris’s office was mum.

The Washington Times reports, “When asked the motivations for leaving, economics dominated, with 75% of Salvadorans, 89% of Hondurans and 91% of Guatemalans citing that as a factor.” Meanwhile, Harris’s claims of climate and environment being a major factor was cited by just 3% of migrants, and insecurity or violence was cited by just 8%.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration has failed to publicly release the figure on the number of aliens currently residing in the U.S. whose visas have expired. According to congressional rules, the Department of Homeland Security is required to both send a report to Congress as well as make the information available to the American public. Thus far, the administration has avoided sharing the data.

“For whatever reason, it appears political appointees are not disclosing a report produced by career subject matter experts,” noted former Immigration and Customs Enforcement adviser Jon Feere. “It’s consistent with the Biden administration’s general hostility to transparency. The Biden policies are a slap in the face to all State Department employees — the message is that all foreigners can ignore visa adjudicators and stay as long as they’d like.”

Once again, the objective of the Biden administration is clear: Bring in as many illegal aliens as possible and work to eventually get them classified as U.S. citizens for the intended aim of growing Democrat voter rolls. If Democrats believed the vast majority of illegals would vote Republican, they would be the biggest advocates for building a border wall you’ve ever seen.