The Biden administration has acknowledged that a large number of migrants will enter the United States as the strict Covid-era deportation powers are set to be scrapped. U.S. officials estimate that up to 10,000 people are crossing from Mexico every day, and this number is expected to increase once Title 42, an emergency coronavirus law that facilitates the removal of undocumented immigrants, expires at midnight on Thursday. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has cautioned that the upcoming days and weeks could be very challenging.
To address the situation, authorities have made adjustments to asylum rules, requiring claims to be lodged online before any consideration is given. Failure to adhere to this requirement may result in denial of the right to stay in the U.S., particularly for migrants who have passed through safe countries without seeking protection there. Additionally, Title 8 dictates that migrants caught sneaking into the U.S. can be quickly deported and face a five-year ban on applying for legal entry.
While the Biden administration acknowledges that their plan will yield results, they anticipate that it will take time for these results to be fully realized. President Biden himself acknowledges that the surge in asylum-seekers crossing the border may lead to a chaotic situation for some time. According to US network NBC News, border guards have been instructed to release migrants without court dates or tracking capabilities due to overcrowding, as reported by three sources familiar with the plan.
The current situation has been described by Art Del Cueto, a Border Patrol union leader, as “beyond catastrophic” and “unsustainable.” More than 29,000 individuals are currently in the custody of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), marking a record high, with nearly 18,000 arrests made in the past 24 hours. This mounting pressure necessitates action from the Biden administration to mitigate the influx.
Efforts to address the situation include a deal with Mexico to repatriate Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans whose asylum claims are rejected. However, border shelters in El Paso, Texas are already overwhelmed by the sheer volume of migrants, with some individuals forced to sleep on the streets. Many towns along the border have declared a state of emergency in response.
A recent report from the Office of the Inspector General reveals that border officials are struggling to handle the increasing numbers of migrants due to low staffing levels. The report warns that these officials may resign or retire early unless working conditions improve promptly. Currently, there are approximately 24,000 law enforcement officers stationed along the southwestern border with Mexico, and an additional 1,500 troops are being deployed to support U.S. Customs and Border Protection, on top of the 2,500 National Guard troops already present.
The crisis at the border has negatively impacted President Biden’s public approval ratings, which stand at 40%, near his lowest level since taking office in 2021. Americans express dissatisfaction with immigration issues and the state of the economy. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, at least 2.3 million migrants attempted to illegally cross the Mexican border into the United States last year, a significant increase from 1.7 million in 2021 and over 450,000 in the previous year, which coincided with the global lockdowns imposed during the pandemic.
It is worth noting that the emergency powers to remove migrants, known as Title 42, were derived from a 79-year-old federal law that Donald Trump employed to address public health concerns. Republicans are also critical of President Biden’s decision to terminate his predecessor’s $16.6 billion border wall project along the Mexico border, considering it a pivotal policy to combat illegal immigration.
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