Border Crisis and Housing Affordability: Immigration Surges Meet Urban Planning Failures

The October 6, 2023 broadcast of The Kim Monson Show confronts two interconnected crises facing Americans: a border crisis with over 4.4 million illegal entries under the Biden administration and an affordable housing catastrophe created by government planning. Andrew Arthur from the Center for Immigration Studies and land-use expert Randall O’Toole expose how government policies fail everyday citizens.

The True Scale of the Border Crisis

Start listening at 33:30 – Hour 1

Andrew Arthur, resident fellow in law and policy at the Center for Immigration Studies, corrects the narrative on border crossings. While reports cite 2.8 million illegal entries, Arthur reveals the actual number exceeds 4.4 million when including those who evaded Border Patrol. This surge has created unprecedented strain on northern cities including Denver, Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia.

Arthur, a former immigration judge and former chief terrorist prosecutor for INS who advised Attorney General Janet Reno on terrorism and immigration, warns of national security implications. In fiscal year 2023, Border Patrol stopped 151 people on the terrorist watch list, compared to zero in 2019. He references a CNN leak revealing that more than 12 Uzbek nationals were smuggled into the country by an ISIS-associated smuggler. Arthur invokes the 9/11 Commission’s warning that “the system was blinking red” before the attacks, asserting that current warning signs are even more dire.

The policy expert explains how the Biden administration has rebranded all illegal border crossers as asylum seekers without proper screening. He cites Congresswoman Barbara Jordan’s Commission on Immigration Reform, which emphasized that immigration policy should consider the impact on society’s most vulnerable members, including minorities, inner-city youth, and legal immigrants already adjusting to life in America.

“Immigration touches on all aspects of our society, particularly the most dire ones right now: health care, the economy, our schools, our communities. Most of these people are good people. They really are. But we need to return to the rule of law at the border if we’re ever going to return to the rule of law in our cities and towns.”

Andrew Arthur, Resident Fellow, Center for Immigration Studies

Supporting Marine Veterans Through Community Action

Start listening at 17:56 – Hour 1

Paula Sarlls, president of the USMC Memorial Foundation and Gold Star wife, describes the ongoing effort to remodel the United States Marine Corps Memorial at 6th and Colfax in Denver. The memorial, dedicated in 1977, requires significant updates including electrical and lighting repairs. Sarlls explains that the foundation has organized various fundraising efforts, including the upcoming addition of pathways of service where supporters can purchase bricks to honor veterans of all branches.

John Powell, a Navy veteran who served in Vietnam with the Mobile River Marine Force, announces a charity poker tournament to benefit the memorial. Organized through Aces Crack Poker League, the tournament at Feltz Bar in Englewood welcomes players of all skill levels.

“It is the United States Marine Corps Memorial, and it’s dedicated to all Marines for all time, to honor Marines and remember all who serve.”

Paula Sarlls, President, USMC Memorial Foundation

Keeping Homes Safe and Efficient

Start listening at 64:33 – Hour 2

John Lennon, owner of Johnny Stubbs Heating and Air Conditioning Services, explains the importance of furnace maintenance as temperatures drop. Beyond comfort, properly functioning heating systems prevent dangerous situations including frozen pipes and carbon monoxide leaks from cracked heat exchangers. Lennon advises homeowners that modern equipment is designed to maintain temperature rather than overcome large swings, making consistent thermostat settings more efficient than the old practice of setting back temperatures when leaving home.

“A properly functioning furnace is definitely what we want to keep you comfortable and keep the house safe. And then doing the cleaning check that we offer is always a good idea.”

John Lennon, Owner, Johnny Stubbs Heating

Parental Rights and School Board Accountability

Start listening at 104:03 – Hour 2

Kurt Kastein, candidate for the Poudre School District Board of Education, articulates his vision for the 30,000 students in northern Colorado schools. He emphasizes that parents hold primary responsibility for their children’s health, well-being, and educational choices. Schools should partner with parents rather than usurp parental decision-making authority, particularly on matters involving mental health services.

Kastein expresses concern about policies that allow children to access certain services without parental knowledge or consent. He argues that curriculum transparency should be standard practice, with all educational materials documented and available to parents and the public. The candidate distinguishes between caring about the “whole child” and assuming responsibilities that properly belong to parents.

“Parents are front and center, right? They are the ones that have the responsibility for the health and well-being of their child. And that spills into every aspect of life. They need to have the rights to stay out front in all the key decisions for their kids.”

Kurt Kastein, Poudre School District Board Candidate

How Government Planning Creates Housing Unaffordability

Start listening at 74:07 – Hour 2

Randall O’Toole, the Anti-Planner dedicated to the sunset of government planning, dismantles the myth that density makes housing affordable. He explains that high-density apartment buildings cost twice as much per square foot to build as single-family homes. In 1970, only Hawaii had housing prices exceeding three times median family incomes because it was the first state to restrict land supply. Today, places like Boulder have ratios of 8 to 10 times incomes, making homeownership impossible for average families.

O’Toole traces the problem to an ideology within the urban planning profession that favors density regardless of cost or consumer preference. Planners design transit systems as if all jobs were downtown, ignoring the distributed nature of modern employment. The result is expensive apartments that most people do not want, built with affordable housing funds that could construct twice as many single-family homes.

The land-use expert notes that all urban land in Colorado covers only 1.8 percent of the state, leaving 98.2 percent available for development. Without artificial restrictions like urban growth boundaries and green belts, housing could remain affordable for nearly everyone. Instead, government creates the problem through supply restrictions, then spends billions on subsidized housing that helps only a favored few.

“The government has made housing expensive. And then it taxes everybody and spends tens of billions of dollars a year trying to provide affordable housing for the people at the lower end of the income scale so that they can afford to live everywhere. This is an insane policy.”

Randall O’Toole, The Anti-Planner