The immigration crisis that can spill over into the US (and how it complicates Biden)

The president of USA, Joe Biden, acknowledged that there will be chaos on the border with Mexico from this Thursday the 11th, but the disorder and anxiety have already been visible for several days. Thousands of migrants spent the last few days in northern Mexican states waiting in shelters, tents or out in the open for the end of the Title 42 application, which was implemented in the North American giant during the COVID-19 pandemic.

LOOK: What is Title 8, the expulsion rule that replaces Title 42 in the US?

The Biden government’s decision to lift Title 42, which means Title 8 goes into effect today, has resulted in an even more overwhelmed border because it means the end of a health rule that has been used millions of times. to quickly expel migrants. The overflow is obvious. According to CNN, citing federal sources, some 152,000 migrants are on the Mexican side waiting to cross into the United States.

More arrests are also expected. The newspaper “The New York Times” reports that last Tuesday, border officials detained more than 11,000 migrants who had crossed illegally, an increase from the 7,000 to 8,000 crossings a day registered last week.

The surge is particularly visible in El Paso, Texas, a city where federal agents are working to get migrants to turn themselves in to authorities, a move that is causing anxiety among foreigners.

Drone images have shown crowds gathered at the El Paso border fence, in front of Ciudad Juárez, in Mexican territory. Many of those heading to the United States have made long and perilous treks to the border in hopes of crossing. Laredo and Brownsville are other Texan cities declared in emergency due to this crisis.

The situation is also tense in the area that divides San Diego, California, and Tijuana, Mexico, where hundreds of migrants have been jumping over the wall between the two cities in recent days, hoping to turn themselves in to Border Patrol agents.

Migrants wait on the banks of the Rio Grande to be processed by the El Paso Sector Border Patrol. (Photo: AFP) (HERIKA MARTINEZ/)

Title 8 and a new rule

Title 42 was imposed during the government of former President Donald Trump, as a sanitary measure that allowed the almost immediate expulsion of undocumented immigrants in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under this rule, in force since March 2020, many people who crossed the border were quickly expelled to Mexico without the possibility of requesting asylum.

The Biden government inherited this rule and extended it. The measure, which previously exempted some nationalities, was expanded to veto the entry of Venezuelans, Nicaraguans and Cubans, among others, who should be limited to special programs or the use of the CPB ONE application to request asylum in the United States.

With the end of Title 42, Title 8, which has governed the immigration process in the United States for decades, comes into force. Under this regulation, people who cross the border without first applying for asylum will be expelled.

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has recently recalled that under Title 8, “a person who is removed is subject to a ban on admission to the United States of at least five years and may face criminal prosecution for any subsequent attempt to cross the border illegally. People with final orders of removal will be removed.”

In addition, migrants who enter illegally to USA they can be arrested and processed for expedited deportation.

CNN recalls that in April of this year, the Biden government announced that it will create regional processing centers in Latin America so that immigrants can apply to enter the United States.

But the limitations do not stop there. This Wednesday the 10th, the government promulgated a new rule that restricts access to asylum applications at the border with Mexico and it qualifies migrants who cross the border irregularly and who have not requested protection in a third country during their journey to the United States as “unfit” to request asylum.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the new rule would mean harsher consequences for migrants who cross illegally. “We are making it very clear that our border is not open, that crossing irregularly is against the law and that those who are not eligible for aid (asylum) will be returned quickly”the official said.

Large groups of migrants also register at the San Diego border crossing before the policy changes.

Overflow and a challenge for Biden

The immediate crisis is itself a challenge for Biden and his administration. “The New York Times” recalls that “the border and the immigration system of USA they are not equipped to handle that many people”, so the possibility of a chaotic spillover is imminent.

Biden he is under pressure from both his critics and supporters. Republicans have criticized the president, who is running for re-election in 2024, for rolling back the hardline policies of Donald Trump, the current favorite to be his party’s nominee. On the other hand, some Democrats and immigration advocates have said that current regulation undermines the ability to apply for asylum at US borders.

Attention is also focused on the treatment that migrants will receive under the application of Title 8. Washington sent 1,500 troops to assist in the control work at the border, which in El Paso is heavily guarded with patrols every kilometer.

In addition, government officials reported that the Executive planned to open more than 100 immigration processing centers in the Western Hemisphere and that it would launch a new online dating platform in the coming days.

“The New York Times” recalls that the facilities built on the border were originally designed to hold Mexican men who crossed illegally in search of work. “They resemble jail environments where people are crammed into one space. The government has recognized that these facilities are not safe to hold children and other vulnerable populations. Over the past decade, the United States has established additional temporary spaces to meet the needs of families and children, but it is still not enough to serve the large number of people entering the country.”, says the medium.

Source: Elcomercio