No other issue on Joe Biden’s political agenda, not even rising inflation, has as much potential to derail his presidency as immigration. That became clear last week when even congressmen from his own party came out publicly to criticize his strategy to deal with the crisis that is brewing on the southern border with Mexico.
(The Colombian who drowned crossing ‘El Hueco’ into the United States)
Aware of the dangers that lie ahead, especially in an election year like 2022, The Biden administration presented a plan with six pillars with which it seeks to contain the tide of migrants, including thousands of Colombians, who are arriving at the gates of the United States.
The plan talks about expanding border patrol personnel, as well as processing centers that handle asylum claims. Likewise, new tools to quickly remove illegals, more support for the communities and NGOs that work in the area, strong footing to attack the criminal networks that traffic in illegals, and resources directed to the countries of the region with which it is intended to confront the causes that push migrants north.
In a couple of hearings before Congress, Alejandro Mayorkas, the US Secretary for Homeland Security, defended the strategy, but not before claiming that his administration had inherited a “broken immigration system” that requires long-term reforms if it succeeds. What you are looking for is a permanent solution.
(Don’t stop reading: Court blocks termination of Biden’s open borders policy)
However, his explanations left few satisfied. Kyrsten Sinema, a Democratic senator from the state of Arizona, called the plan “unrealistic”, while Catherine Cortez Masto, and Mark Kelly, also from this party, called it a “well-intentioned draft” but still far from being something that avoid catastrophe.
Not to mention the Republicans, whose questioning was unanimous and promised to stop their entire agenda until this issue is resolved. Among them the new aid for Ukraine, which Biden is asking for as well as funds to continue confronting the covid-19 pandemic.
Although the immigration issue is one that has haunted the Democrat since he arrived at the White House, in recent weeks it has turned ant-colored.
That thanks to controversial Title 42, a policy created by the administration of former President Donald Trump in March 2020 and that since then has allowed migrants to be expressly expelled without having to process them with the regularity granted to asylum seekers.
Alleging that the pandemic created a health crisis in the country and that migrants were a vehicle for its spread, Title 42 has allowed the expulsion of at least 1.7 million people, a record number, without having to give further explanations. or comply with the laws and international commitments that govern migration in normal times.
Although at the beginning of the pandemic the measure made sense and many countries applied similar formulas, Biden came under extreme pressure from a sector of his party to lift the measure, since it is impossible to continue justifying the expulsions when all the states eliminated the restrictions. that were imposed when the covid broke out.
In addition, a few weeks ago, the Centers for Infectious Disease Control (CDC) decreed that the health emergency caused by the pandemic had ended and therefore Title 42 would no longer be in force. Biden responded to the new concept by announcing that he would eliminate his application on May 23 and with this the contingency plan that he revealed last week.
However, last Wednesday the president “appeared the virgin” when a Louisiana judge suspended for 14 days the Administration’s preparations to end that rule. The magistrate set a hearing for this May 13 in which he could adopt a definitive resolution on the future of Title 42.
Likewise, in Congress, with the support of the Democrats, several bills are advancing that seek to stop Biden’s decision while there is no system to deal with the tide of migrants.
In other words, whether by judicial or legislative means, the president could avoid – for the time being – the negative impact of lifting the policy. But Republicans want to take advantage of the crisis to make Title 42 a permanent solution and have again pushed for funds to build the wall on the border with Mexico.
In the first six months of the current fiscal year, which began in October 2021, the authorities have detained just over a million immigrants on the southern border, of which 549,000 were expelled from the country in application of Title 42, according to data. from US Customs and Border Protection.
Mayorkas assured yesterday that the Government is preparing for the different possible scenarios to reinforce the border with Mexico and insisted on asking migrants who try to enter the country through the southern border not to do so: “Don’t come, the border is not open”he stated in an interview with CNN.
Given the forecasts that there may be 18,000 migrants a day when the aforementioned rule is lifted, the Secretary of Security acknowledged that this figure would represent significant “pressure” for the system, but assured that they have been preparing for months.
Mayorkas is being the main target of the Republicans on the immigration issue and even members of that party have threatened to promote an impeachment process against him in Congress.
The last friday, Biden tried to coordinate with his Mexican counterpart, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, a common strategy in the face of the “unprecedented” flow of migrants that is reaching the common border. Both agreed on a visit to Washington today by Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard.
In any case, the detention centers are already operating at full capacity and the fear is that, once Title 42 is eliminated, there will be no way to hold and process migrants, which will translate into a major crisis for Biden. , whose popularity ratings are rock bottom and the future remains to be seen.
SERGIO GOMEZ MASERI
Correspondent of THE TIME
WASHINGTON
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