Joe Biden scrambles as migrant surge looms at Mexico border
White House has unveiled measures aimed at averting a political crisis triggered by the end of Covid-era restrictions.
The White House has unveiled measures aimed at averting a political crisis as tens of thousands of migrants lured by the end of Covid-era restrictions prepare to try to cross into the US in the weeks ahead.
Panama’s security ministry said the number of people arriving at the Darien Gap, its border crossing with Colombia, had jumped. Last month 40,297 people made the crossing, and this month 16,246 have arrived. Both figures are well up on the same period last year.
They are expected to join an estimated 150,000 people in northern Mexico intending to enter the US after legislation, known as Title 42, expires on Thursday (Friday AEST). The measure was introduced by the Trump administration as an emergency response to the pandemic. It allows US border agents to send most undocumented migrants back across America’s southern border. Now officials will have to register those they arrest and put them into the immigration system, which can take months to resolve cases.
The situation is potentially perilous for the Biden administration. It has been accused by opponents of operating an “open border” policy, even with Title 42 in place.
More than 2.5 million migrants were arrested at the southern border last year, including more than 250,000 in December, the highest monthly number on record. Many have made the difficult journey to the US from poverty-stricken nations such as Venezuela and Honduras, where the pandemic crippled already struggling economies.
Many more are expected once Title 42 ends. The White House said it would send an extra 24,000 law enforcement officials to the Mexican border, and a further 1100 staff to deal with processing undocumented people. Mr Biden warned of chaos at the border as the pandemic restrictions are lifted. Asked if the US was ready for a surge in crossings, he said: “It remains to be seen. It’s going to be chaotic for a while.”
The US will open a number of regional processing centres in Central America where people can find out whether they are eligible to travel to the US legally.
Panamanian Foreign Minister Janaina Tewaney met US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in Washington to discuss what Panama described as a migration crisis.
US officials say plans to contain crossings at the Darien Gap are one of the main planks of their effort to tackle illegal migration. Another provision, known as Title 8, will be used by the administration to expedite the deportation of migrants arrested at sites other than official border crossings. Critics say the new measures may not be enough to dissuade those intent on getting to the US: it is believed that 35,000 people are waiting in Tamaulipas state, Mexico, and 25,000 more in the state of Coahuila, with possibly hundreds of thousands of others travelling up through Central America in the coming weeks.
The Republicans say the White House has lost control at the border and is not monitoring who arrives in the US, or where they go afterwards.
Others have linked increases in crime and the growing availability of deadly drugs such as fentanyl with increases in illegal immigration.
“Biden’s open-border policies fuel the growing national fentanyl crisis,” Greg Abbott, the Texas governor, said. “Texas law enforcement has seized over 385 million lethal doses of fentanyl smuggled into our state. That’s enough to kill every man, woman and child in America.”
Donald Trump, who polls indicate is likely to be Mr Biden’s Republican challenger in next year’s presidential election, has lambasted the administration over border security and is quick to point out that it was a job Mr Biden delegated to his Vice-President, Kamala Harris, soon after coming into office.
“Since Democrats took power, our country has gone to hell,” Mr Trump said in an email to supporters.
“Biden, led by Kamala Harris and the radical left, has made a mockery of our great nation. Our border is wide open, violent criminals are released from jail with no consequences, sick men are invading women’s sports, taxes are sky high, and the economy is in the tank, really. I could go on forever.”
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