US Implements Measures to Prevent Illegal Border Crossings Amid Impending End of Asylum Restrictions

With the imminent end of asylum restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States government announced Thursday measures to prevent migrants from crossing the southern border illegally, implementing sanctions for many who do, and creating new routes with the aim of offering alternatives to the dangerous journey.

The measures include opening processing centers outside the United States for people fleeing violence and poverty to apply to arrive by air and settle legally in the United States, Spain or Canada. The first centers of this type will be opened in Guatemala and Colombia, with more to be established later in other countries.

The administration also plans to more quickly screen migrants seeking asylum at the border, repatriate those it deems ineligible as quickly as possible, and penalize those who enter the United States or any other country illegally on their way to the United States. .

But whether the measures will help stem the surge of migrants fleeing countries mired in political and economic troubles is unknown. The imminent end of the public health measures implemented during the pandemic that allowed the expedited expulsion of many migrants, on May 11, also increases the pressure.

“This is a hemispheric challenge that requires hemispheric solutions,” Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas declared at a press conference in which he detailed how the United States will work together with other countries in the region.

Mayorkas also warned that neither migrants nor human smugglers should interpret the expiration of the restrictions as meaning that everyone should come. “Let’s be very clear: Our border is not open nor will it be after May 11.”

The issue of migration has plagued Biden throughout his presidency. Republican Party leaders have criticized him for being soft on border security, but migrant advocacy groups say the government has abandoned its humanitarian efforts by enacting tougher measures to prevent migrants from coming to the country illegally. illegal.

The theme will not go away. As he seeks re-election in 2024, Biden is trying to strike a balance that looks tricky, particularly if migrants flood border facilities after May 11.

The federal government has also repeatedly pointed fingers at Congress, saying it has been unable to reach an agreement on comprehensive immigration reform.

The measures announced Thursday are part of the carrot and stick strategy that the US government has been using with increasing frequency on the immigration issue, with which it offers incentives such as humanitarian paroles for hundreds of thousands of people and at the same time time heralds strong consequences for many of those who show up at the border.

To date, such measures have included:

— Processing centers: The government will open migration centers in several countries, starting with Guatemala and Colombia, which will be run by the International Organization for Migration and the United Nations refugee agency. At these locations, prospective migrants can obtain information on the various ways they can immigrate to the United States, such as refugee status applications or work programs. The government noted that both Canada and Spain have said they would accept migrants referred by these centers, although no specific figures were released. The United States also indicated that it would double the number of refugees from Central and South America. Numbers were not detailed in that case either, but by fiscal year 2023, the United States committed to accepting 15,000 refugees from Latin America and the Caribbean.

— Tougher and more expeditious sanctions: The US government says it will process asylum seekers who show up at the southern border faster — in a matter of days, not weeks — with the goal of returning people who fail early screening faster. Returnees will be barred from entering the United States for five years. The government says it intends to drastically increase the number of flights on which migrants are deported. Federal authorities also said that a previously announced rule that would limit asylum to those who first passed through another country without seeking asylum there, or who entered the United States illegally, will also take effect before the 11 deadline. of May.

— No detention of families: The government did not announce the detention of families who cross the border without authorization. That move would have sparked criticism from immigration activists and Biden allies. But authorities have indicated they will keep an eye on the families with curfews and GPS monitoring, stressing that they would be deported if found to be ineligible to remain in the country.

— Family reunification: The Department of Homeland Security is creating a family reunification entry permit process for people from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Colombia. And the agency is “modernizing” its existing family reunification process for people from Cuba and Haiti.

— Fight against traffickers: Mayorkas highlighted the efforts to more strictly combat the trafficking networks that facilitate the transfer throughout the region to the United States.

Andrew Selee, who heads the Migration Policy Institute, said the plans released are “the clearest we’ve seen of a strategy” by the government to deal with migration. But he cautioned that a lot of time and commitment would be required for the plan to succeed either way.

“I think it’s the closest we’ve seen to a comprehensive plan,” Selee said. She pointed out that the government bet heavily on the processing centers, and said that they can potentially serve to provide information on immigration options in a way that an embassy, ​​for example, cannot.

But Selee added that processing centers will need to be closely linked to local networks in various countries so that potential migrants are made aware of them, and so that the local organization that knows of the people who are most desperate to migrate can refer them to the centers.

Thursday’s announcement drew criticism from many, including members of the president’s own party who are concerned about Biden’s increasing attempts to make it more difficult for him to gain asylum at the border.

Senator Bob Menendez said he was “disappointed” with the plan, particularly after spending the past few weeks urging the White House to implement a different immigration strategy that would include an extension to Temporary Protected Status for people from various Central American nations. He also expressed doubts about how some aspects of the plan would be implemented.

“The question is: how are we going to install these processing centers? What are the entities that will be there to make sure a person is prosecuted properly? What are we going to do so that third countries accept these individuals and guarantee that they are safe?”, commented the senator.

Many groups that work to provide assistance to refugees and other migrants expressed satisfaction with some aspects of the plan, such as allowing more refugees from Central and South America, and reunifying families. But they said that should not be at the expense of people seeking asylum at the border.

The International Refugee Assistance Program said in a statement that it is concerned about the lack of detail on the plan, how it will be implemented and where the money will come from. The group also noted that the United States’ refugee resettlement program is still not recovering from cuts it suffered under President Donald Trump.

“We have more questions than answers,” said Lacy Broemel, a policy analyst for the show.

Others, such as right-leaning groups that have already been fiercely critical of Biden, have lashed out at the plan, saying faster processing of migrants simply means they will enter the country faster. The Federation for American Immigration Reform said the initiatives represent “a huge illegal scheme to receive unlimited numbers of migrants.”