President Joe Biden is under growing pressure to reverse his immigration policies as the border crisis worsens and authorities struggle to accommodate an influx of refugees.
There have been more migrant apprehensions since Joe Biden’s inauguration than in the entirety of 2020. This includes more than 500 unaccompanied minors per day. Without adequate facilities, kids are staying in cells made for adults, and agents are holding most of them far longer than the legal limit of 72 hours.
“The situation at the southwest border is difficult,” admits DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. “We are working around the clock to manage it and we will continue to do so. That is our job. We are making progress and we are executing on our plan. It will take time and we will not waver in our commitment to succeed.”
Most adults and families are being expelled under Title 42, explained Mayorkas, “unless Mexico does not have the capacity to receive the families.” Speaking to lawmakers this week, Mayorkas claimed the border was “secure” and “not open.”
“We need to wake up,” says Rep. John Katko (R-NY), one of several GOP lawmakers to visit the border this month. “President Biden, why don’t you just admit you made a mistake with this policy and go back to the way it was and keep America safe for all of us?”
Though White House officials blame poverty, violence, corruption, and natural disasters, the migrant surge is clearly the result of Biden’s immigration policies including:
- Suspending border wall construction
- Eliminating the Migrant Protection Protocols
- Limiting the number of illegal immigrants targeted by ICE
- Proposing citizenship options for illegals already living in the US
“As difficult as the border situation is now, we are addressing it. We have acted and we have made progress,” continues Mayorkas, who confirmed the nation was on pace to encounter more migrants than in the past two decades. “We have no illusions about how hard it is, and we know it will take time. And we will get it done.”
Earlier this month, Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) took matters into his own hands by sending 500 National Guard troops and 1,200 state police officers to the border to “try to fill the gap that the federal government is leaving open.”
Author’s Note: Biden knows he screwed up and created this border crisis but doesn’t want to renege on his campaign promises.
Sources:
DHS chief says border numbers on track to be highest in 20 years; concedes situation is ‘difficult’
Southwest border crossings on pace for highest levels in 20 years, Biden admin says