AP EXPLAINS: Why did Texas hold up trucks at the border?

Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision to impose additional inspections on trucks entering Texas from Mexico was his latest move in an unprecedented foray into border security, long the purview of the federal government.

The two-term governor, like many GOP leaders, calls illegal immigration and drug smuggling from Mexico a “crisis” and holds President Joe Biden fully responsible. He made his most recent move following the Biden administration’s decision to end pandemic-related restrictions on seeking asylum at the border as of May 23.

Here are some facts about conditions at the border and Abbott’s response:

HOW MANY MIGRANTS ARE ARRIVING AT THE BORDER?

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) detained migrants 164,973 times in February, a daily average of almost 5,900. Figures for March will be released soon, but CBP said it stopped migrants an average of 7,101 times a day in the week ending March 28.

That is an unusually large figure; the last week of March was on track to set a new monthly record in the Biden presidency and was one of the busiest in history. In the 12-month period ending Sept. 30, the Border Patrol stopped migrants nearly 1.7 million times — one of the highest numbers since the agency was founded in 1924 — but that number masks a crucial difference.

Since March 2020, US authorities have expelled migrants more than 1.7 million times under the authority of Title 42 — named after a 1944 public health law — using the threat of COVID-19 to deny migrants the possibility of applying for asylum, an option that is guaranteed in US law and international treaties.

Expulsions carry no legal consequences, which encourages repeated attempts. In budget year 2021, more than one in four migrants at the border had been apprehended “multiple times,” and re-crossers were apprehended on average more than three times in the previous year. Consequently, the number of migrants who crossed the border is much lower than the number of times authorities have detained migrants.

WHAT HAS BIDEN DONE?

The Democratic president reversed many measures put in place by his Republican predecessor Donald Trump, who disparaged asylum as a “scam” and said the country was “full.” The Biden administration repealed a rule that generally prohibited domestic and gang violence to justify asylum, and ended bilateral agreements to send some migrants to Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador to seek protection there instead of doing so. in United States.

Biden suspended the “Stay in Mexico” policy on his first day in office after the Trump administration forced some 70,000 asylum seekers to wait in that country for their turn at hearings in US immigration courts. In December he was forced to resume politics by court order, but the numbers have been modest. The US Supreme Court will hear arguments on April 26 on whether and how Biden can end this policy.

With COVID-19 infection rates declining, the government announced on April 1 that it will end the authority of Title 42 on May 23. Some congressional Democrats joined Republican leaders in saying the move was premature and the administration was unprepared. The Department of Homeland Security says it is preparing to handle up to 18,000 crossings a day.

On Thursday, 18 states joined Louisiana, Arizona and Missouri in a federal lawsuit to uphold the authority of Title 42. The other states are: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming. The absence of Texas is notable.

WHAT IS TEXAS DOING?

Last year, Abbott launched a multimillion-dollar border security mission, deploying thousands of state troopers and National Guardsmen, installing new border barriers and jailing immigrants on trespassing charges. Abbott, who is running for re-election in November, has made the issue a cornerstone of his administration.

Texas, assuming a role similar to that of California during the Trump presidency, has been one of the main legal opponents of changes in immigration policy. He joined Missouri in the Supreme Court case over the elimination of the “Stay in Mexico” policy.

After the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that Title 42 authority was ending, Abbott began inspecting commercial vehicles in addition to independent reviews of the CBP, leading to significant delays and outrage from its pro-business allies. He also rented buses to transport migrants who wanted to from Texas to Washington, DC.

On Friday, Abbott withdrew the inspections altogether after announcing agreements with neighboring governors of Mexican states on border security, but said he would not hesitate to reintroduce them in the future. Migrants are detained at ports of entry in only 5% of CBP encounters. The vast majority cross through mountains, deserts and cities that are located between the official crossings.

The dynamics of drug seizures is different, since fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine and other highly potent drugs are mostly seized at official crossings and not in their midst. Their compact size and lack of odor make them extremely difficult to detect.

IS ANY OF ALL THIS NEW IN THE BIDEN PRESIDENCY?

No. There have been several spikes in immigration since 2014, and the country’s flawed asylum system has been a headache for three presidents. The United States became the world’s most popular destination for asylum seekers in 2017.

Immigration experts refer to “push” factors, which force migrants to leave their homes, and “pull” factors, which deal with the policies of the destination countries that could influence the choice of place to migrate. which one to address

“Pull” factors include hurricanes, violence, political repression, and poverty, while “pull” factors include real or perceived changes in Washington policy. A much-cited “pull” factor is the US asylum system, which is heavily overwhelmed; An immigration judge takes an average of four years to resolve an application from people who are not in detention.

Last month, the Biden administration unveiled a long-discussed and potentially significant change to expand the authority of asylum officials to decide on applications, not just initial reviews. It is designed to reach a decision on cases in a matter of months rather than years, but officials say there are no additional resources to put it into practice, which is expected by the end of May, and they estimate a slow start.

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Spagat reported from San Diego.

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