Pensacola Times

Throughout his 2016 campaign, then-candidate Donald Trump promised Americans he would halt the flow of illegal immigrants into America, build a wall, and enforce federal immigration laws. President Trump has fulfilled every single one of those promises, and no state may have benefitted more from President Trump’s immigration policies than our great state of Florida.

Florida had suffered for decades from a lack of proper enforcement of federal immigration laws. As a result, Florida has an illegal immigrant population estimated to be north of 1 million, nearly 8% of America’s illegal immigrant population. Illegal immigrants threaten our finite state resources; reports show illegal immigrants cost police and incarceration resources at a higher rate than citizens and legal immigrants.

Thankfully, President Trump stepped in where previous administrations failed. President Trump promised he would build a wall, and his administration has built hundreds of miles to date. He has beefed up border security and enacted policies so Border Patrol can stop illegal immigrants before entry, avoiding costly investigations and enforcement on American soil. The president’s commonsense immigration policies have worked. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) saw half as many illegal entries in July 2020 compared to July 2019. 

Meanwhile, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris blatantly push for open borders and amnesty for all illegal immigrants living in America. Biden’s own campaign boasts he will grant amnesty to illegal immigrants already living here and open America’s borders to anyone who wants to come. Joe Biden would also enact a 100-day moratorium on deportations if elected.

Kamala Harris is no better. She publicly supports decriminalizing illegal border crossing, and states she would provide taxpayer-funded health benefits to illegal immigrants. If the world sees us as a socialist system, providing “free” benefits to all, illegal immigrants will come to America in greater numbers – escalating the financial strain we already face.

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris outrageously advocate for amnesty and benefits for illegal immigrants as our economy recovers from COVID-19. President Trump’s pro-growth, pro-American policies have protected jobs for the American people as the economy re-opens. The last thing we need is undue competition for Americans re-entering the workforce. 

Before COVID-19 artificially halted economic growth, we saw record low unemployment rates across the board. Because President Trump puts Americans first, we added 11.4 million jobs in the last five months, more than 500,000 in Florida alone. We cannot risk that growth by adding millions of illegal immigrants to our workforce, like Joe Biden and Kamala Harris propose.

Looking back at the socialist policies my family fled in Jamaica reinforces that government cannot create wealth or solve our problems. Legal immigrants come to Florida pursuing the American dream; contributing to the economy and creating small businesses. Becoming an American is a privilege, not an entitlement. I’m proud of the legacy my family created on American soil, and it started by coming here legally, prepared to contribute to our system and follow our laws on day one.   

We have a clear choice in November. President Trump is the only candidate on the ballot who has our back. His “America First” policies led the country its best economy on record and he’s on track to do it again. We can’t risk that progress with out-of-touch career politicians like Joe Biden, who think it’s more important to ensure people who come here illegally receive benefits just as President Trump’s Great American Comeback is underway.

– Alex Andrade is a member of the Florida Legislature representing the state's 2nd House District