(Daily Signal)—Don’t hold your breath that some senators will be able to squeeze border sanity out of the White House in exchange for billions more in aid to Ukraine, all before they go home for Christmas.
Before discussing the latest effort, it’s worth noting new laws aren’t even needed to fix about 80% of the border crisis. President Joe Biden could with a phone call restore policies that kept the border controlled under previous presidents, including Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama.
But unlike them, he has allowed his administration’s policy to be dictated by a leftist hard core that rejects borders and law enforcement. He has also diverted billions of tax dollars to the non-governmental organization mass immigration support industry. After nearly three years, we know that the Biden administration officials will not only fail to enforce immigration law, but that they also will continue to subvert and defy it.
So, where are we on border security deal negotiations?
It looks like senators won’t reach agreement before leaving Washington this Friday until the New Year. Even if they did, the deal would need to pass the House, where Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has shown a spine when it comes to fighting for real border security.
In backroom negotiations, the Washington Post reports Senate “Democrats have made major concessions … and advocacy groups on the left are furious.” Nonsense.
The embryonic Senate deal would reportedly make it easier for the Department of Homeland Security to deport illegal aliens whose asylum claims fail in court. But with the current backlogs, it takes five or more years for even a patently bogus case to conclude. DHS already has all the authority to deport it needs, yet their annual targets are to remove fewer than 30,000 criminal convict illegal aliens a year, never mind the millions of illegal aliens without such convictions who the administration has released into the country. They have no intention of deporting anyone else here illegally, including failed asylum seekers. The expensive and lengthy asylum process is just Kabuki theater for this administration.
The Senate proposal would also give Biden a new legal authority to expel illegal migrants before they can enter and claim asylum. This power would be simlar to Title 42, which allowed summary expulsions because of COVID-19 until May of this year. Pro-illegal immigration activists describe this as a massive concession, but it isn’t. The president already has the authority—and duty—to deter or detain illegal aliens instead of processing and releasing them as he does. If the cap to trigger the new expulsion authority is at the discretion of Biden’s DHS secretary, then it would never be reached.
Hence, the new, improved Title 42 would be triggered by some acceptable number of illegal border crossers. Obama’s DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson once said that 1,000 of these a day was a “bad day.” We’re now experiencing over 10,000 a day. If the cap is, say 3,000 a day, then you can expect Biden’s DHS to divert all their energies into expanding their bogus and illegal immigration parole programs. These bypass the required visa process to fly illegal aliens directly to U.S. ports, thus avoiding high numbers between ports of entry. The open borders activists in charge of the nation’s immigration policy have done everything in their power to subvert Congress and the law, and they won’t stop now.
Most importantly, “the White House has not expressed any willingness to limit Biden’s power to parole certain categories of immigrants,” a demand that “could throw the negotiations into a tailspin,” according to the Post.
Immigration parole is the administration’s favorite open border tool. Disregarding the clear language of the law and the expressed congressional intent behind it, Biden uses parole as an infinite method to bring in illegal aliens. If parole is untouched, the Biden administration can ramp it up exponentially, moving the traffic from the border to interior U.S. airports, and allowing in unlimited illegal migrants under the guise that they will claim asylum. This has not solved the problem; it has just hidden it better in Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ shell game. Using parole, DHS will continue to pour in hundreds of thousands of aliens for whom they have no proven identification, let alone criminal records or background checks.
Senators have to resist a “border security” trap and not sign on to a fig-leaf deal that hands the Biden administration more tools and money to bring in more illegal aliens.
Only serious reforms, like those the House passed in May, will restore the rule of law to our borders. What’s needed includes a substantial change to the current asylum process to weed out the bulk of fraudulent or spurious claims before they clog the pipeline, and a hard numerical cap on the use of true “humanitarian” parole —say 1,000 a year, among other policy and defunding changes. The Senate should not agree to a bad deal that would further harm America.
Bypass Big Tech Censors
Why Bullion Beats Numismatics and Collectible for Your Safe or IRA
Precious metals continue to attract Americans seeking reliable ways to protect their wealth amid inflation, geopolitical risks, and stock market swings. Whether stored in a home safe or held inside a self-directed IRA, physical gold and silver deliver tangible value that paper or digital assets often lack. Yet investors must choose carefully between bullion—pure bars and coins valued mainly for their metal content—and numismatics or collectibles, where rarity, history, and collector demand heavily influence pricing.
Advisor Bullion serves as a dependable source for straightforward, high-quality bullion. The company specializes in physical gold, silver, platinum, and palladium, emphasizing transparent pricing and products that deliver maximum metal content for every dollar spent. This approach makes it ideal for both personal holdings and retirement accounts.
Bullion consists of refined precious metals in standard forms like one-ounce coins (American Gold Eagles, Silver Eagles, Canadian Maple Leafs) or bars. Their value tracks closely to the current spot price of the metal. A typical gold bullion coin trades near the live gold spot price plus a small premium. This structure keeps costs clear and predictable.
Numismatic coins and collectibles add substantial value from factors such as age, rarity, minting errors, or historical significance. A pre-1933 U.S. gold coin or graded proof piece can carry premiums of 30%, 50%, or even 200% above melt value. While this appeals to hobbyists, it creates complexity. Pricing depends on subjective grading, collector trends, and auction results instead of daily spot prices.
For investors focused on wealth preservation and retirement security rather than building a collection, bullion often delivers better results.
Lower Costs and Better Liquidity for Home Storage
When keeping metals in a home safe or private vault, liquidity and efficiency count. Bullion offers clear benefits:
- You acquire more actual gold or silver per dollar invested. Numismatics divert a large share of your money into rarity premiums and massive sales commission, reducing your metal exposure.
- Selling bullion involves tight bid-ask spreads, so you recover nearly full spot value with minimal fees. Collectibles require finding the right buyer and may sell at a discount if demand for that specific item weakens.
- Bullion prices remain transparent and update with global spot markets. You can track gold near current levels or silver accordingly and know exactly where your holdings stand. Numismatic values are priced by the Gold IRA companies with hefty margins applied.
- Standardized coins and bars store efficiently and divide easily for partial sales. Rare coins often need protective slabs and controlled conditions, adding hassle and expense.
- Bullion enjoys worldwide acceptance. A 1-oz Gold Maple Leaf or Silver Eagle sells quickly to dealers anywhere. Niche numismatic pieces may appeal only to limited buyers, slowing liquidation when speed matters.
In times when quick access to value becomes important, bullion’s simplicity stands out.
Stronger Fit for Precious Metals IRAs
Precious metals IRAs continue gaining traction as investors diversify retirement portfolios beyond stocks and bonds. IRS rules permit certain bullion products in self-directed IRAs if they meet purity standards (.995 fine for gold, .999 for silver) and are held by an approved custodian. Eligible items include American Gold and Silver Eagles plus many generic bars and rounds from recognized mints.
Numismatic and most collectible coins generally face heavy scrutiny from custodians due to valuation disputes and elevated markups. These higher premiums mean less actual metal ends up working inside the account.
Bullion avoids these issues. Its value links directly to verifiable spot prices, which simplifies reporting and lowers the risk of regulatory challenges. More of your IRA contribution purchases real metal instead of dealer profits or speculative upside. Over time, owning additional ounces that appreciate with the metal itself can create meaningful outperformance compared with high-premium alternatives that deliver fewer ounces.
Regulatory guidance from the CFTC and state securities offices repeatedly cautions against aggressive sales of expensive numismatics or “semi-numismatic” coins for IRAs. For retirement planning, transparent bullion from established providers reduces risk and aligns better with long-term goals.
How to Get Started with Bullion
Begin by clarifying your goals. Are you protecting savings in a safe, or moving part of a retirement account into a precious metals IRA? Focus on the number of ounces you can acquire at current prices rather than chasing marked-up collectibles.
Diversify sensibly: use gold for core preservation and silver for its blend of industrial and monetary qualities. Mix coins for easier divisibility with bars for lower per-ounce costs on larger buys. Arrange secure storage—whether at home with proper insurance or through professional facilities.
As economic uncertainties linger and faith in conventional assets erodes, bullion continues proving its worth as a dependable store of value. Its direct approach avoids the hype that sometimes surrounds collectible markets and keeps the focus on the metal itself.
For investors prepared to strengthen their portfolios, Advisor Bullion supplies the expertise and selection needed to acquire high-quality bullion efficiently. Whether building personal holdings or integrating metals into an IRA, their emphasis on transparent, investment-grade products helps secure more ounces today that support greater financial security tomorrow. In a complicated financial landscape, bullion’s clarity and reliability make it the smarter foundation for protecting what matters most.