Many of the policies promoted by the authoritarian left make our country less safe. One of the most harmful policies they continue to push has to do with immigration. Specifically, they believe that we should have open borders despite the fact that letting in vast numbers of people without proper vetting is extremely dangerous. This is because by doing so, dangerous people can easily come into our country and prey on the most vulnerable in our society.

For example, just recently, a previously deported illegal immigrant was arrested and charged with child sex-trafficking. He allegedly exploited two young girls in Mexico on numerous occasions.

Earlier this month, Valentin Mendiola-Castaneda, a Mexican national, was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents after it was discovered that he was living in the United States illegally to avoid being punished for sex crimes he committed in Mexico. According to reports, Fugitive Operations officers associated with ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) managed to track him down after receiving a tip that he was in the US. Upon being arrested, he was handed over to the Mexican government.

In Mexico, he’s expected to be charged with sex trafficking and the aggravated sexual exploitation of minors for allegedly sexually exploiting two young girls in hotels and houses all across Toluca, Mexico. Police say he kept the two girls against their will and turned them into child prostitutes. It’s currently unknown if he harmed additional children while living in the U.S., but it’s likely that he would have if he wasn’t caught. Thankfully, he’s no longer in our country.

Mendiola-Castaneda’s arrest also proves just how poorly secured our Southern border truly is. Police records show that he was previously deported from our country 11 times. There’s no point in deporting people if they’re just going to sneak right back into the country. In order to solve our immigration problem, we must first reduce the influx of illegal immigrants coming into our country.

To do so, we need a more secure border first. For example, if we had a wall, it would be much more difficult for people to sneak in. If we didn’t have to worry about people getting into our country, we could then focus on removing the dangerous illegal immigrants already here. And once they’re removed, the wall would ensure that they don’t come back.

Also, to stop repeat offenders in the future, illegal immigrants caught living in the country should first spend some time in jail before being deported. If they keep sneaking in, then they should be given a harsher sentence each time they’re caught. Hopefully, punishments like this will deter prospective criminals.

Another thing that would address our country’s immigration problem is defunding “sanctuary cities.” These cities protect illegal immigrants by refusing to enforce the law, putting everyone’s lives in danger. On top of being defunded, those responsible for telling others to disobey federal law should be locked up.

Many liberals argue that harsh immigration policies are unfair and racist. They claim those who oppose illegal immigration hate all immigrants living in the country, including those who came here legally, and wrongly think that saying some illegals are dangerous is the same as saying all illegals are dangerous.

However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Many who oppose illegal immigration have no problem with legal immigration. They simply want there to be proper vetting procedures before entering the country.

Also, while many illegal immigrants don’t break the law, it’s undeniable that some do. For example, earlier this year, Julio Cesar-Medrano, an illegal immigrant, was arrested for allegedly raping a 4-year-old child. And just recently, Irwin Gomez-Colon, another illegal, allegedly raped and murdered a mother in front of her 4-year-old child. When police arrived at the scene, they found the child crying sitting in a pool of blood next to her dead body, which was riddled with over 20 stabs wounds. Despite what some on the left say, it’s not racist or stereotypical to say that some undocumented aliens are criminals. It’s simply a statement of fact.

Conservatives must continue to push for immigration reform. Not only should sanctuary cities be defunded, but anyone caught living in the country illegally, regardless of whether or not they’ve committed additional crimes, should be deported immediately. Keeping them in our country is simply not worth the added risk.