As the 2024 presidential election nears with the world on the brink of, or already in, World War Three, America must make a serious choice in 13 months. Will America course correctly or slide into bankruptcy and irrelevancy on the world stage? Perhaps the feckless Republicans need a rallying cry.

Bill Clinton had one when he ran against ruling class scion George HW Bush. “It’s the economy stupid” was a phrase James Carville coined in 1992 when he was advising Bill Clinton in his successful run for the White House.

In 2023, it’s the economy again, but not only the economy. Our national debt is over $33 trillion, growing by $5 billion a day, with interest payments costing taxpayers almost $2 billion each day. Much of it is or was going to one of the most corrupt countries in the world, holding no vital US interest, or spent on the nonsensical “Green New Deal,” while most Americans are living paycheck to paycheck.

While not pleasant, America can survive a recession or depression, as we did a hundred years ago. But what if we are invaded and conquered?

That’s a new scenario for America. The past two world wars, and subsequent wars were all fought overseas, not in the US homeland.

Invasions don’t always happen by ships and planes. What if we simply allow the enemy to move into the country, ready for activation at any time? In other words, America’s future enemy combatants may already be here.

Republicans should be shouting, “It’s the border, stupid!” This issue will resonate with all voters, especially in Democrat-run cities like New York and Chicago, now overrun with migrants that their taxpayers must support and live with. But everyone should be concerned after what happened in Israel. No one is safe—children, the elderly, concertgoers, or everyone else.

Who controls American borders? The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency. Their mission statement is “Protect the American people, safeguard our borders, and enhance the nation’s economic prosperity.”

Are they doing that? Or the opposite? From their website, here is CBP’s ethos,

• We are the guardians of our Nation’s borders.
• We are America’s front line.
• We safeguard the American homeland
• at and beyond our borders.
• We protect the American people against
• terrorists and the instruments of terror.
• We steadfastly enforce the laws of the United States
• while fostering our Nation’s economic security through
• lawful international trade and travel.
• We serve the American people with vigilance,
• integrity, and professionalism.

How is that working out? Are the borders safeguarded? Are Americans protected from terrorists? Are the laws being enforced? Are open borders improving our economic prosperity?

From the CBP website, there have been 7.5 million border encounters from 2021 to the present (that is, during Biden’s presidential term). 5.2 million, more than two-thirds, were single adults, mostly male. If these young men are seeking political asylum, why aren’t they bringing their families rather than coming alone?

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And it’s getting worse. Look at the encounters in just one month: “CBP’s total encounters along the Southwest border in August 2023 were 232,972.” At that rate, it’s close to 3 million illegal aliens a year.

These are encounters. How many illegal migrants get through without being caught or encountered? That number is largely unknowable, but the Center for Immigration Studies estimates somewhere between 50 and 68 percent of illegal border crossers are caught. What if far fewer are caught?

The House Judiciary Committee reports, “1.7 million known ‘gotaways’ have evaded Border Patrol and escaped into the interior since January 20, 2021, with untold numbers of unknown ‘gotaways avoiding detection during that period.”

In other words, the number of illegal border crossers under Biden could be between 10 and 20 million, perhaps more, close to 5 percent of the US population.

Is the Biden administration sending any illegal aliens back home, or are they all staying in America? The House Judiciary Committee answers again, “Of the at least 2.1 million aliens released into the United States since January 20, 2021, the Biden Administration has failed to remove, through immigration court removal proceedings, roughly 99.7 percent of those illegal aliens.” In other words, they all stay here.

Where are they coming from? Mostly Central and South America, but from where else? From CBP data, about 65,000 single adults came from China during Biden’s time in office. About 40,000 single adults came from Russia. Congressman Tom Cole notes migrants from more than 150 countries have illegally crossed the border.

Thousands of “special interest aliens” from numerous countries, including the Middle East, have been arrested by CBP agents while attempting to cross the U.S. southern border illegally over the past two years, according to internal CBP data leaked to Fox News.

Would Russia or China be concerned if 60,000 young American men migrated to their country? You betcha.

The House Committee on Homeland Security reports that in 2023, so far, 151 individuals on the terrorist watchlist were stopped at the southern border. How many made it through? CBP arrested over 32,000 aliens with criminal convictions. How many more were not arrested and are in a city near you?

Is it concerning that young men of military age are coming into the country from who knows where? For anyone who still believes it’s just poor families crossing into the US, Pew Research says otherwise, “By far the largest number and share of encounters involved single adults.”

Assume 5 million single adults arrived illegally into the US, mostly young men. While AOC likes to pose in front of children, photos of migrant caravans tell a different story of hordes of military-age men in these caravans. Where are their families? Are they simply seeking political asylum, or do they have other activities in mind?

How many of these young men might be from Hamas, Hezbollah, or other militant groups intent on causing harm in America? Or are criminals? Or cartel members?

Can Europe show us what’s ahead with unfettered immigration? This New York Post headline gives a preview, “When Europe ignored the sex crimes of immigrants, all women suffered.” Young women who overwhelmingly vote for Democrats might reconsider what they are voting for.

What if only one percent of these young men have bad intentions for America? That is still 50,000 potential militants. Remember, it only took 19 al-Qaeda terrorists to carry out the 9/11 attacks. What could 50,000 terrorists do?

Investigative journalist Laura Loomer tweeted one potential answer,

Sources telling me that there were emergency intel meetings this weekend to discuss the rise of Hamas terror cells that are operating in American cities. These HAMAS terrorists came across the US border and are apparently planning to attack major US cities over the next 14 months.

Trump said much the same on Truth Social,

The same people that raided Israel are pouring into our once beautiful USA, through our TOTALLY OPEN SOUTHERN BORDER, at Record Numbers. Are they planning an attack within our Country? Crooked Joe Biden and his BOSS, Barack Hussein Obama, did this to us!

Yet we still have a wide-open border. The Biden administration and Democrats want this, replenishing their voter rolls so they don’t have to fabricate as many ballots and votes in future elections. Republicans have done nothing to stop it, beholden to their Chamber of Commerce donors seeking cheap labor.

When President Trump tried to build a border wall, the GOP-controlled House and Senate, directed by Speaker Paul Ryan, “reneged on a deal to fund the border wall,” according to then-President Trump.

Fentanyl is also crossing the border, with 110 thousand American overdose deaths in 2022, almost twice the casualties in one year compared to the nearly 20-year American involvement in Vietnam. Fentanyl deaths each year are the equivalent of 35 9/11s.

Remember the outrage over the actual 9/11? There should be 35 times more, not less, outrage over American deaths due to our nonexistent border.

Illegal migrants are overwhelming American cities. Even sanctuary city virtue-signaling Democrat officials have had enough, including New York City Mayor Eric Adams saying that the “Migrant crisis will destroy New York City.” He left out the slow destruction of the rest of America.

It’s more than providing room and board for the migrants. What diseases are they bringing? New York City has a resurgence in tuberculosis, “Magnified by the arrival of more than 100,000 migrants to New York City since spring 2022,” as reported by Politico. That’s also coming to a city near you.

But after events in Israel last week, the terror threat is a clear and present danger to America. Migrants are unvetted and released into the country. Are those with bad intentions gathering and preparing, ready to kidnap, rape, and brutally murder innocent children and young adults as Hamas did in Israel?

Does America need another 9/11, or multiple simultaneous such events, to realize the danger of an absent border? We can spend hundreds of billions to secure Ukraine’s border with Russia but spend nothing to maintain our own border.

What’s the probability of another terrorist attack on our homeland due to an open border and an unrestricted parade of migrants from who knows where? Why isn’t President Biden, his administration, and Congress prioritizing the safety and security of America over that of foreign countries?

Wake up, Republicans. And America. It’s the border, stupid!

Brian C Joondeph, MD, is a physician and writer. Follow me on Twitter @retinaldoctor, Substack Dr. Brian’s Substack, Truth Social @BrianJoondeph, and LinkedIn @Brian Joondeph.