Victor Davis Hanson
American Greatness
Left-wing Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador recently praised a visiting Joe Biden: “Just imagine: There are 40 million Mexicans in the United States—40 million who were born here in Mexico, [or] who are the children of people who were born in Mexico!”
Why wouldn’t Obrador be delighted? Since Biden took office in January 2021, America has allowed some 5-6 million illegal entries across its southern border.
Obrador further congratulated the malleable Biden whom he apparently sees as a kindred but complacent left-wing spirit: “You are the first president of the United States in a very long time that has not built even one meter of wall.”
Translated that means Mexico is delighted the United States now cares little about the security of its own border, the disappearance of which apparently is wonderful news for Mexico.
Note that Mexico itself facilitates illegal transits across its own southern border—as long as such Central American and other global migrants keep heading northward into the United States.
But when or if they pause, try to stay in Mexico, commit crimes, or expect Mexican social services, then almost immediately Mexico City sends thousands of troops to close its border with Guatemala, deports the illegal crossers, and revives talk of building a border wall of its own.
Biden has demolished America’s southern border. His illegal nullification of U.S. immigration law is music to Obrador’s ears.
But it is a nightmare to Americans who poll overwhelming disapproval of the subversion of their own border security. They are exhausted by the influx of death-dealing drugs. And they are furious over the hundreds of billions of dollars diverted from their own strapped social services to attend to the needs of foreign nationals who have broken their laws.
Even overwhelmed blue sanctuary cities that once boasted of nullifying federal immigration law are now beginning to object to Biden’s complicity in Mexico’s manipulation of the border.
Obrador clearly is delighted that Biden is the first White House occupant who in matters of the shared southern border grants all of Mexico’s wishes, but almost none of his own citizens’.
That reality raises the question that if Mexico were a declared enemy of the United States, how would it behave any differently than it is now?
Take drugs, for example. American overdoses due to fentanyl and other opioids are nearing 100,000 deaths per year.
Almost all such lethal opiates are manufactured in factories operated by drug cartels in Mexico that enjoy de facto immunity from prosecution. The Mexican opioid industry was designed solely for lucrative export to the United States—with zero concern over the death and destruction its products cause here.
Well aside from human trafficking and smuggling, cartel drugs indirectly earn the Mexican economy somewhere between $35-45 billion each year.
A hostile China profits by selling Mexicans the raw product. Beijing gains satisfaction that at the present death rate, more Americans will perish this decade alone from imported Mexican drugs than all the combat deaths in all the wars since America’s founding.
In that sense Mexico is doing more damage to America than all our prior enemies combined.
Obrador is equally callous in bragging that he exports his own poor. Left unsaid is that a naturally rich Mexico either will not, or cannot, adequately employ, feed, shelter, and protect its own impoverished citizens.
So instead, it cynically sees its own people as a lucrative export commodity while holding U.S. laws in veritable contempt.
Currently, Mexican nationals are sending nearly $60 billion a year in remittances from the United States to Mexico to aid friends and families who do not find enough succor from their own government in Mexico City. Untaxed remittances far and away constitute the largest source of Mexico’s foreign exchange income.
Much of that gifting is made possible by generous American state and federal subsidies to illegal aliens. Frequent subsidized housing, healthcare, legal assistance, education, and food in the United States are often used to free up cash for illegals, who then send it to Mexico.
Mexico sees this export of its own people as a win-win-win-win proposition.
Illegal immigration to America exempts Mexico from covering the social welfare costs of its poorest.
In safety-valve fashion, it exports the volatility of social inequality rather than spending large sums to address it.
Mexico sees its huge and growing expatriate community as a valuable lobbying lever inside America, given the longer Mexican nationals are absent from Mexico, the more they romanticize the country they fled.
Finally, Mexico is a left-wing nation. The more it sends its poor to the United States, the more it feels Democratic politicians who grant concessions to Mexico will gain valuable new political constituents—ensuring still further concessions.
One sure sign of historic national decline is the collective inability of a government and its people to defend their own borders and national sovereignty.
Mexico would happily agree.
Atzlan has been achieved – the reclaiming of prior American lands, granted to US after we kicked Mexico’s butt and occupied all the way to Mexico City. Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo .. Aztlan envisions reclamation of entire Western United States including Texas California, Az, etc…. I will have more to say on my bobfeldtman substack… but Dr Hansen, you and I grew up on the “farm” less than 50 miles or so from the border in the 50s and 60s. Worked they fields shoulder to shoulder with Mexican hands and I personally learned my Spanish that way.. Working with and burning old dead citrus trees.. Superb write up sir.Gonna repost on substack it is so good.
Mexico has been a disgrace for so long it boggles my mind why anyone would vacation there. Their presidents as awful as our own.
I absolutely agree with everything you have stated. As of this writing, and as I understand it the drug cartels control the Mexican side of the border. These cartels are making millions to smuggle people. Cartels are making billions from illegal drugs being smuggled into our country. The Biden Administration, Democrats in Congress, liberals, Soros funded NGO’s are oblivious to the utter destruction of America and burden on individual states.
For the most part these illegals do not speak English, have no viable job skills, and are not refugees. They want a free ride off the backs of the American taxpayer. They do not want to assimilate and are not interested in doing so. What does this tell people that are standing in line to legally become American citizens?
Biden does not care, is not interested and is attempting to pave the way for a one party nation much like California’s one party state where Republican lawmakers are almost nonexistent.
Hopefully the House of Representatives will start holding Biden and his administration accountable for what they are allowing to happen.
Lastly, thank you Customs and Border Patrol professionals and all other law enforcement professionals for doing a job that is difficult and even more so with one hand tied behind their backs.
Read my take on VDH outstanding piece at bobfeldtman.substack.com. It is now up.
When a politician like Joe Biden puts his hand on the bible and swears to uphold the constitution of the United States it is done as thoughtlessly as when an atheist comments to a person next to him who just sneezed, “God bless you”.
It appears the American government and its people could defend their own borders but simply lack sufficient interest to do so. Meanwhile, pity the poor gringo who breaks a Mexican law while there or even drives a car across the border without Mexican insurance and gets involved in an accident there. The US is losing its sovereignty value along with allowing its citizenship to decline in value. Mexico and Canada are not. A significant percentage of US citizens demand the import of illegal toxic drugs. We appear to be a nation of druggies. We are told between 50k and 100k die each year from illegal, dangerous drugs. It’s nearly the same number in ONE year as the number of soldiers who died in the multiyear Viet Nam debacle of LBJ.
Interestingly, the president of El Salvador, yes, El Salvador, Mr. Nayib Bukele, addressed the decline recently. He stated, “the most powerful country in the world is falling so fast, it makes you rethink what are the real reasons. Something so big and powerful can’t be destroyed so quickly, unless the enemy comes from within….When you look at how the cities are eroding so fast, this has to be by design….I would not live in them.” Nor would I.
Bukele simply borrowed from Abraham Lincoln:
“… If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.”
He knew.
Well, Mr Lopez Obrador, paid personal due to Abraham Lincoln too last year in an off moment on a visit to the WH. Or, maybe he was simply marveling at the difference in quality of character with the present occupant. Zenith/Nadir.
Florida uses the E-Verify system to prevent illegals from gaining a permanent base in their state. If that proves productive, then perhaps Congress could make it a National policy in 2025.
George Washington advised the nation to ‘steer clear of permanent alliances’. For two centuries we have failed to fully heed that advice as our alliances have lasted for decades upon decades, in essence the lifespan of the people. I cannot think of any alliance dissolution which was initiated by the USA. Some were broken by acts of war, others by the overthrow of a regime friendly to the US but always from the aspect of the ally.
I used to believe that policy was proper as the American people are compassionate and forgiving of transgressions. One should wonder whether that was the case or that those in power, government and corporations, retain such alliances to enrich themselves at the expense of the majority of US citizens.
Thanks to Professor Hanson’s articles we may come to realize as a nation that Washington was correct.
As we increasingly suffer from the consequences of Joe Biden’s “ability,” might Ron DeSantis (et al.) rise in time to save our country?
Why are you so quick to forget the enormous achievements Donald Trump accomplished in his first term? Yes, DeSantis holds great promise as a president. But his time is later, perhaps in 2028.
For those that say they are tired of all the controversy and negatively in the press when it comes to Trump, and because of this they have “Trump fatigue”. Guess what–this is just what the swamp wants you to feel. He is truly and existential threat to them, and they want you to feel that Trump is more trouble than he is worth. But he is not. Not since Ronald Reagan have we had a president that kept his promises to the voters to his degree. This is no small thing; it should not be discounted.
If you have this “Trump fatigue”, you should kick yourself in the rear and then do it again–but harder. You should then thank God that Trump hasn’t developed “American fatigue”. Think the strife this man has subjected himself to as president,, and yet he has not given up. It is certainly not for personal profit. Does he have an enormous ego, yes of course. But his ego is rivaled in size only by his love of country, and his ability to truly right our country’s course.
Straw man. John Gibbs said nothing about Trump.
Amen to that Mr. O’Brien & thank you for such a parsimoniously stated observation of Truth!
Yes, yes, yes.
And, not to mention the heart of a guy who gave each and every presidential paycheck to charity for four years. Plus, he is alone among American presidents in the modern era who actually lost wealth during his term in office. We should remember that and compare that with the likes of the actual grifters like Feinstein, Pelosi, Schumer, BIDEN, Obama, certainly Clinton, others, et al. These grifters are 180-degrees opposite the guy who did more for a sovereign America than any other president since Reagan for sure and possibly since Lincoln. It must be that they really fear him.
Strawman or not, it will get down to Trump and DeSantis. Pretty obvious, right?
My conservative circles are leaning towards the governor, especially the women. Some people simply do not like open confrontation, no matter how effective or essential it may be.
And I agree that the Trump fatigue is totally manufactured by the pravda press. Why should conservatives allow these ill-intentioned morons to manipulate our “feelings” about red candidates? It is all noise and ratings.
I could easily support any of the top ten future conservative candidates. Either Trump or DeSantis would be terrific. Let us not splinter our support completely while in the process of selecting our ultimate pick for 2024.
Don’t expect Trump to go easy on Ron. Not in his nature.
However, the point may be moot. It appears that the dems strategy is to create a huge crisis in the form of an international conflict. That’s all they have left. Nothing else is working.
Politicians exported our industries to China, and we did nothing, now they are disregarding native born Americans and creating a new voting block to keep them in power using our taxes to subsidize illegals and condemning our use of the term claiming we are xenophobic and racist. Both parties are benefitting to ensure their power and we the middle class are doomed and so is America.
As usual Victor, you’ve exposed what arguably is the most serious threat we face. Absent from your analysis are the costs associated with caring for throngs of incarcerated illegals who have destroyed or maimed the lives of our citizenry. It would be a worthy cost to note and yet one more compelling reason to end the madness at the border.
The border needs to be completely militarized, and the guards and inspectors at the border have to be changed every week or every few days, so there is not time for the cartels to bribe them or extort them. The cartels threaten many US border guards and offer them bribes , the same “silver or lead” proposition that Pablo Escobar used. These cartel types need to be wiped out, eradicated, totally and finally and forever. As long as they exist, no Mexicans and no Americans will be safe in their own homes.
True and spot on.
Vicious hardly describes the psychotic behavior of the cartels. Their (the leaders) residential palaces are known. They could be taken out if the gov really had the desire and honesty. But in Mexico they have purchased too many elite politicians, judges, military leaders, police. One is too fearful to call for help there: the responder may be a hire of a cartel. If only America were not so into drugs across societal geography. One might even suspect certain politicians here know and play into this weakness and achillis heel.
I absolutely agree with everything you have stated. As of this writing, and as I understand it the drug cartels control the Mexican side of the border. These cartels are making millions to smuggle people. Cartels are making billions from illegal drugs being smuggled into our country. The Biden Administration, Democrats in Congress, liberals, Soros funded NGO’s are oblivious to the utter destruction of America and burden on individual states.
For the most part these illegals do not speak English, have no viable job skills, and are not refugees. They want a free ride off the backs of the American taxpayer. They do not want to assimilate and are not interested in doing so. What does this tell people that are standing in line to legally become American citizens?
Biden does not care, is not interested and is attempting to pave the way for a one party nation much like California’s one party state where Republican lawmakers are almost nonexistent.
Hopefully the House of Representatives will start holding Biden and his administration accountable for what they are allowing to happen.
Lastly, thank you Customs and Border Patrol professionals and all other law enforcement professionals for doing a job that is difficult and even more so with one hand tied behind their backs.
Well, the drug cartels are already in California, having killed a family of six in Goshen, CA near Fresno this past week. And California’s AB-60 signed into law last September allows non-citizens with federal work authorization to become police officers in California. In the Golden State of chaos, corruption, and sloppy background checks, what could go wrong?
They are in eastern Washington too. Have been for some time. Allowed by the dominant political Party there (and in CA).
I still cannot understand why , for any reason a political public sector cabal of progressive visionaries. knowingly destroy the US taxpayer and the society that employs them . I now truly understand why there are parasites in nature . I just never knew they wore suits
You touched upon an interesting principle, sir.
A former U of British Columbia professor, Robert Hare, wrote extensively on psychopathy. It is actually a disgusting personality trait but one that unfortunately requires study to avoid disaster upon an encounter whether at work, at play, or in politics. Hare found that many in the upper levels of corporate America/Canada tend in that direction. He advised that it is best to avoid such people if at all possible. Most unfortunately, many of them excel in politics. One only needs to consider the incessant lying, lack of real remorse, lack of empathy, and the degrading, normally embarrassing accusations they toss at their enemy of the moment. Frustratingly, many in our Congress present with those traits. Schiff, Pelosi, Swawell, Clinton, Schumer, Inslee, Newson, on and on ad nauseam. Actually, most of them have only one interest. Pity the poor soul who goes up against their agenda without knowledge of potential costs. Trump did; Schumer warned him. Schumer also warned the SCOTUS at their own steps. A person may have such traits and so might an org.
If missiles being launched from Mexico were killing U.S. citizens, we would take out the launch sites. If we started taking out fentanyl labs and cartel headquarters, we might save the equivalent of a few wars’ American casualties.