Candidate, Joe Biden had been crystal clear. He wanted to end the “Trump wall” then being built on the US-Mexico border. President of the United States, he still has not presented the “humane and equitable” plan he had promised to manage the influx of migrants. Suddenly, Republicans claim that Democrats have created chaos on the southern border.
This review contains its share of truth. The number of illegal entries is, in fact, the highest for twenty-one years. Two reasons for this: Joe Biden is perceived as less hostile to immigrants than his predecessor. What to promote a call for air, while the Covid-19 is hitting the Latin American economies hard. To the traditional flow of Mexicans and nationals of the “northern triangle” (El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras) has thus been added that of Brazilians, Ecuadorians, Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans.
“Lack of clarity”
The Biden administration is also facing pressure from migrant advocates. They accuse him of maintaining a provision adopted in March 2020 by Donald Trump, which allows illegal migrants to be returned to their country expressly for reasons of public health. With this rule, their treatment varies considerably. In January 2021, 88% of arrested migrants were deported, 2% allowed
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to remain in the United States and 5% imprisoned. Last August, 49% were fired, 22% allowed to stay and 20% jailed. A difference mainly due to the policy of Mexico, which welcomes these people under conditions of geographical origin or reason for migration.
Last year, 284,000 individuals were released from assembly centers and allowed to remain in the United States. “The administration listens too much to pro-immigration activists and does not listen enough to border residents and Border Patrol agents on the front line,” regrets Henry Cuellar, Democratic representative of southwest Texas. In addition, the inconsistency in these decisions is problematic. “The lack of clarity sends people an incomprehensible message,” laments Sister Norma Pimentel of Catholic Charities in the Rio Grande Valley. The fact that Joe Biden, America’s most devout Catholic president, is being criticized by nuns shows that something is wrong. “As long as Joe Biden has not unveiled his strategy in this area, the chaos is likely to continue,” asserts Sister Pimentel.
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