US border cities are seeking thousands of migrants from South American countries. Last Thursday, Title 42 expired, the coronavirus measure established by then-President Donald Trump. With this emergency measure, the US was able to deport people across the border without an asylum procedure, although Title 42 officially helped contain the coronavirus.
“Smugglers, who are paid thousands of dollars, tell migrants now is the time to cross,” said US reporter Eric Mouton. “Now attendance is higher than normal. But a lot of people will be turned away.”
Current President Joe Biden wants to stop the influx of immigrants with a new set of measures. For example, he says, a migrant can only apply for asylum if they have already applied for asylum in another country. Mouthaan: “Then you have to go to a U.S. embassy in a safe country — Mexico, for example. Then they’ll check to see if you’re eligible for legal immigration. Biden also says people should register through application centers to make appointments, but those centers haven’t been created yet, and apps to make appointments often work. It won’t.”
Additionally, Biden has announced that he will send 24,000 agents to the US-Mexico border in an effort to bring the situation under control. Mouthan says he is taking these steps out of concern. “In 2022, 2.8 million immigrants tried to cross the border. But if you’re inside and you’ve applied for asylum in the U.S., it’s not immediately available. Sometimes you have to wait five years for asylum procedures to be completed.” That’s why Biden wants to make sure immigrants apply for asylum in their home countries.
Make it cross
But it is not easy. Thousands of immigrants from Venezuela, Nicaragua and Mexico also tried to cross during the Title42 operation. “Sometimes border control allows migrants. In addition, smugglers mislead migrants by giving them false information. For example, saying: It’s good to go now. But it’s not. Like this.”
Biden feels obligated to push boundaries because he still has something to gain in the election. Next year’s US presidential election. His Democratic supporters think it’s time to bring the situation under control at the border.
Republican politicians have also been criticizing Biden for months for abandoning the situation at the border. They are demanding a complete ban. “He knows he has to control revenue and is resorting to tougher methods. The border control union has already indicated it can’t handle it.”