by Domenico Maceri * –
SAN LUIS OBISPO (USA). “I have been informed that my hands are tied.” Thus Joe Biden while answering journalists’ questions about his reversal on a small addition to the construction of the wall on the border with Mexico. The current occupant of the White House explained that the planned 32 kilometers of wall will not be effective in stopping entry. Nonetheless, the funds had been allocated by the previous government, and Biden, without convincing almost anyone, elaborated that he had no choice.
In the 2020 election campaign, Biden distanced himself from Trump by promising not to build even an inch of wall on the border. The then candidate Biden wanted to distinguish himself from his opponent’s harsh policy which had been characterized by the ban on entry from several Muslim countries and the separation of the families of migrants stopped at the border. These Trump policies had been criticized for their discrimination and utter lack of humanity.
The ever-constant entries from the border with Mexico and the Republican rhetoric of the “invasion” of migrants have pushed Biden to attempt some moves which, however, have produced unsatisfactory results. The 46th president has failed to satisfy either Republicans, left-wing Democrats, or even Americans in general. In the last 3 years, 6 million individuals have been arrested at the Mexican border. The majority of them were then released while they await the very slow judicial procedures that would determine the outcome of their asylum requests.
Republicans have waged a steady and bitter campaign attacking Biden for his failure to resolve the situation. A very recent poll by Marquette Law School informs us that only 27 percent of Americans would vote for the current president on the issue of migrants. Trump’s hard hand seems to prevail. The former president would defeat Biden by a 23 percent margin.
Just to score political goals, Texas governor Greg Abbott and Ron DeSantis of Florida, both Republicans, have sent busloads of migrants to the largest cities in the United States that are run by Democrats. These are metropolises considered “sanctuaries” because in theory they willingly accept migrants. However, the numbers were excessive and now the mayors have begun to rebel. The most vocal was Eric Adams who declared that migrants could cause the end of New York. The Big Apple by municipal law must offer housing to anyone who requests it and in recent months half of the 100 thousand homeless people are migrants.
Biden tried to reduce admissions and pacify the mayors. In the case of New York, the current president has offered a temporary residence visa, Temporary Protective Status (TPS), to Venezuelan migrants. This move protects migrants from deportation if their lives could be put in danger if they are returned. The period of temporary stay can be 6, 12, or 18 months, allowing migrants to be able to work legally in the US. This visa would be a breath of fresh air for New York as it would significantly reduce the expense of maintaining them. At the same time, it would help companies short of employees, especially in service sectors such as tourism, construction, and other manual labor. With the excellent state of the economy that saw the creation of more than 300,000 new jobs last month, America needs workers. The use of migrants already in the country pleases companies.
However, the immigration issue continues to remain without solutions. This pleases Republicans and the right in general because it produces electoral fruits. However, the fact that Biden has not improved the situation in almost 3 years of presidency should not be surprising. Presidents of both parties have been beset by immigration in recent times. From George Bush Jr., to Obama and Trump, Congress has been unable to find common ground to reform immigration laws. The fundamental problem, as Vice President Kamala Harris declared, lies in the dysfunctionality of some Central and South American countries that forces people to undertake a long journey in search of a future. The solution would only be found by solving the economic and political problems in these countries. We would like a new Marshall Plan but there is no talk of this especially with the government divided between the two parties and the chaos in the House where the Republicans are struggling to even agree to elect the speaker.
* Domenico Maceri, PhD, is professor emeritus at Allan Hancock College, Santa Maria, California. Some of his articles have won awards from the National Association of Hispanic Publications.
