Joe Biden’s sword of Damocles hovers over the US border

Joe Biden's open-border policies are America’s sword of Damocles, a metaphor illustrating a growing sense of impending catastrophe.

The allegory, attributed to the Roman statesman Cicero, tells the story of King Dionysius, who appeared to live a life of luxury surrounded by sycophants. One of these followers, Damocles, expressed envy of the king's life. In response, King Dionysius offered Damocles the chance to live in his shoes, but Damocles soon realized the peril the king constantly faced when he noticed a sword hanging above him, held by a single horsehair, symbolizing the king’s constant fears and dangers.

The allegory parallels the current state of America’s open-border policies.

Americans have long enjoyed prosperity, freedom, and the opportunity for every person to succeed and rise to great heights within society. Despite the dangers of crime-infested Big Blue cities, Americans have generally felt safe and secure within their own country. However, the open-border policies implemented under the Biden administration have changed this reality.

While many concerns, such as issues related to law and order, a two-tier justice system, political persecutions, the fentanyl crisis, inflation, and socialism, have already been recognized as potential threats to the American way of life, it was the shocking invasion of Israel by Hamas terrorists that heightened awareness of an existential threat to American national security due to open-border policies.

The sword is hanging over America by a single thin horsehair.

The successful and shockingly grotesque attack on Israel by Hamas, despite the region having one of the world's best-defended borders, forced a sobering re-evaluation of America's southern border. This scenario, in which 2,500 well-armed terrorists overwhelmed the Israeli border, took control of towns, and committed heinous acts against civilians, was unthinkable to government security forces. It highlighted the risk of becoming complacent and underestimating the evil intent of determined and ruthless enemies.

Border security now transcends simple law enforcement concerns, and Americans have come to understand that their open border poses a threat to national security and the American way of life. The world is indeed filled with genuine threats, and those who seek to enter and destroy America have an easy way in.

In fiscal year 2023, Customs and Border Protection encountered a staggering 3.2 million illegal border-crossers and apprehended a record 169 individuals on the terror watch list. And this doesn’t even count the 1.7 million known "gotaways" since fiscal year 2021.

Notable among the last year’s border encounters are nearly 40,000 Chinese nationals, most of whom are of military age. This raises concerns about potential security implications, particularly in the event of a conflict with China. Consider, for example, teams of covert Chinese operators, who had already gained illegal entry into our country, launching coordinated attacks on critical infrastructure like substation transformers, water facilities, or even schools, in response to American involvement in Chinese aggression toward Taiwan.

The threat of terrorism infiltrating the southern U.S. border is also a real worry. A federal government memo from the Customs and Border Protection bureau in San Diego warned recently of the possibility of “foreign fighters motivated by ideology or mercenary soldiers” attempting to travel between the U.S. and Middle Eastern countries through Mexico, posing a significant danger to American security.”

The potential damage to America’s infrastructure and harm to our citizens from terrorists already within the nation are a cause for alarm. The threat is not limited to lone individuals but includes the possibility of militarized crime cartels and organized terror cells seizing control of towns and communities along the border and around the nation.

I fear the time has already passed to secure our nation against infiltration by those who wish America harm. The sword is hanging over America by a single thin horsehair.

Like the Israelis who grew complacent ahead of the horrific Hamas attack on October 7, Americans are unprepared to handle the violence and chaos that could be unleashed by enemies already within our borders. Our own Texas Military has demilitarized into a disaster relief organization, and our law enforcement agencies have had their hands tied so that they can’t effectively counter such threats, leaving our nation extremely vulnerable.

America is facing a national security threat due to its open-border policies. The situation is critical, and Americans are finally recognizing that we urgently need measures to protect our nation and its citizens.

These measures include securing the borders, safeguarding critical infrastructure, identifying all illegal aliens within the country, and implementing a plan for mass deportations to address these potential security risks. While the challenge is considerable, the need for immediate and decisive action is essential to secure the nation against infiltration by those who wish us harm. The crisis cannot be ignored or leveraged for an activist political agenda.