Gary Houchens

If Ernesto Manuel-Andres possesses legal permission to be in the United States, then it is just that the young man has been released on bond and returned to Bowling Green after being detained by immigration agents on June 4. But Manuel-Andres’ arrest illustrates an even bigger problem we must overcome, and one many of his supporters seem unwilling to confront: a fatally broken American immigration system.

There are many unknowns about Manuel-Andres’ situation. The government has released none of the details about its case against him, so we only know what his supporters have told us. Fugees Family, the local non-profit speaking on his behalf, says Ernesto will not be giving interviews.

What does seem indisputable, is that Manuel-Andres entered the country illegally at some point in the past, likely during the massive surge of illegal migration welcomed by the Biden administration. He was apparently a minor at the time and may have had no say in the matter, but someone committed a criminal act that led to him being in the United States.

The very fact that Manuel-Andres, who is potentially innocent of any personal wrongdoing, has been swept up in the current crackdown is the direct result of a massive problem that should never have existed in the first place.

Given the scope of the government’s current roundup of illegals, some mistakes were likely. That doesn’t excuse immigration agents from detaining Manuel-Andres if he did show them proof of his protected status. But immigration enforcement officers also face a critically important and enormously daunting task: how to deal with millions of people the previous administration allowed to waltz into the United States illegally.

There is no way around it: the U.S. must take firm action to identify and remove as many individuals who came into this country without permission as is reasonably possible. If a government cannot protect its own legal borders, it is incapable of delivering any other service to its citizens.

The current round of immigration raids is good and necessary. This effort should continue for now. And If Manuel-Andres’ case is everything his supporters say, then greater care should be taken to see that existing immigration provisions to protect those who have legal status are honored.

But eventually, lawmakers must come to the table to rebuild a sane American immigration policy to prevent this crisis in the future.

Democrats must accept that ordinary Americans – including many immigrants who are here legally – have a reasonable expectation for border security. But Republicans must also accept the impossibility of removing every single illegal alien, given the untold millions involved, especially when such efforts can easily lead to what has allegedly happened to Ernesto Manuel-Andres.

There can be no path to citizenship for those who come here illegally, but at some point, we must accept some compassionate, limited mechanisms for law-abiding, long- standing migrants to make a case for permanent residency, for welcoming a limited number of refugees who genuinely need asylum, and for protecting minors who may be subject to neglect or abuse if they are returned to their home country.

And we must have a bipartisan commitment to never allow our borders to vanish again.

Gary Houchens, PhD, is director of the educational leadership doctoral program at Western Kentucky University.