“The border is not open,” said White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki on Thursday (local time). “Now is not the time.” Psaki emphasized that the vast majority of migrants will be turned away on the basis of health regulations in the coronavirus pandemic. The administration of US President Joe Biden stands by its principle not to send unaccompanied minors back after crossing the border for humanitarian reasons.
The border protection agency CBP announced on Wednesday that its employees had picked up 100,441 people trying to cross the southern border in February – 28 percent more than in the previous month and almost three times as many as in February last year. 72 113 migrants were sent back. According to CBP, the number of unaccompanied minors rose from 3,490 in February 2020 to 9,457 last month. The agency attributed the overall increase in numbers to ongoing violence, natural disasters and poverty in Central American countries.
The Biden government has so far avoided speaking of a crisis on the southern border, despite the sharp rise in numbers. Psaki called the situation “an enormous challenge” on Thursday. The government is looking for ways to reduce the number of children making the dangerous journey. Steps are also being considered to help minors be brought to special facilities or brought together with family members in the United States more quickly after crossing the border. Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, had an extremely restrictive migration policy.
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