Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary of Homeland Security of the United States, warned that migrants who do not opt for the legal channels offered by the Joe Biden administration to enter the country would face “tougher” consequences.
Through his social networks, the official recalled that the end of Title 42 did not mean that the US border was going to remain open, and that, among the consequences of trying to enter the country irregularly, there would be a minimum ban of five years. “to re-enter and possible criminal proceedings.”
People who do not use available lawful pathways to enter the U.S. now face tougher consequences, including a minimum five-year ban on re-entry and potential criminal prosecution. (3/4)
— Secretary Alexander Mayorkas (@SecMajorkas) May 12, 2023
Mayorkas points out that all undocumented immigrants who enter the US illegally will not be eligible to obtain asylum, and that the country was prepared to detain them and expel them to their respective countries.
“Starting tonight, people who arrive at the border without using a legal pathway will be presumed ineligible for asylum. We stand ready to process and humanely remove people without a legal basis to remain in the US,” read a tweet shared by the official.
Starting tonight, people who arrive at the border without using a lawful pathway will be presumed ineligible for asylum. We are ready to humanely process and remove people without a legal basis to remain in the U.S. (1/4) pic.twitter.com/JnpSw6793v
— Secretary Alexander Mayorkas (@SecMajorkas) May 12, 2023
In that same Twitter thread, Mayorkas revealed that the US had some 24,000 US Border Patrol (USBP) agents and officers stationed on the border with Mexico.
We have 24,000 Border Patrol Agents and Officers at the Southwest Border and have surged thousands of troops and contractors, and over a thousand asylum officers to help enforce our laws. Do not believe the lies of smugglers. The border is not open. (2/4)
— Secretary Alexander Mayorkas (@SecMajorkas) May 12, 2023
Similarly, he indicated that they had thousands of troops and contractors that would provide support when it came to monitoring the border and carrying out the arrests of undocumented migrants on US soil.
Finally, the Secretary of Homeland Security urged migrants not to believe the lies told by human traffickers, since these individuals are only looking for money and have no concern for the well-being of the undocumented.
“Do not believe the lies of the traffickers, the border is not open,” he said.
This increase in border surveillance has been seen in recent weeks, with the US authorities transferring some 1,500 military troops to the border states most affected by the migration crisis.
Similarly, this week, a group of migrants was detained while trying to enter Texas illegally. The foreigners were intercepted by US troops, who used barbed wire to prevent their passage after having crossed the Rio Grande.
