Biden: immigration situation “will be chaotic for a while”; This is how the US protects its border

The American President, Joe Bidenanticipates a situationchaotic for a while” in the border with Mexico when the rule that allows the immediate expulsion of most migrants is lifted on Thursday.

“We’ll see. It will be chaotic for a while”, he responded on Tuesday to journalists who asked him if his government is prepared for a significant increase in migrants when on Thursday at 11:59 p.m. Washington time (0359 GMT) the so-called Title 42 expires, a rule activated during the pandemic that allows automatic expulsion to almost all those who arrive without a visa or documentation necessary to enter.

Hours before, he spoke with his Mexican counterpart, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, about the consequences of lifting this rule.

Both presidents have to coordinate because once the sanitary norm is lifted, the Title 8which makes it possible to request asylum as long as the person can convince that they will be persecuted or tortured if they return to their country, but also authorizes the accelerated deportation of others.

And a part of those expelled will end up in Mexico.

“They discussed the continued close coordination between border authorities and strong law enforcement measures.”, in anticipation of Title 8, whose consequences are “more serious” because it punishes deportees with a five-year ban on entry, the White House said in a statement.

A foreseeable surge in migrants would further expose deep divisions in a country founded on promises of safety and refuge, but where concerns about illegal immigration make its welcome uncertain.

Many of those trying to escape the economic and political crises in their countries have already crossed the border. Frustrated by the lack of legal options, some sneaked along the 3,100 kilometers that separate the world’s richest country from Mexico.

Texas cities of El Paso, Brownsville and Laredo They have declared a state of emergency and are dealing with hundreds of people, the majority from Latin America, and others from China, Russia and Turkey.

In El Paso, some migrants sleep on the streets, cover themselves with sheets from the sun or rest on cardboard. Dirty children beg for alms.

Mayor oscar leeser He warned that his officers are preparing for the arrival of many more on Friday.

Title 42

Title 42, activated under former Republican President Donald Trump with the supposed goal of preventing people with COVID-19 from entering the country, served in practice to expel migrants without having to accept their asylum claims.

With its expiration, migrants will again be able to submit asylum applications processed through the courts, a process that can take years.

Biden it is under strong pressure from the Republican Party, which demands a controlled border. Some members of this party forecast the arrival of a million people at the border in the next three months.

And 18 months before the presidential election, Biden he hopes new rules will help stem the flow at the border, where he has sent an additional 1,500 troops for administrative tasks.

The Republican Governor of Texas, greg abbottordered the dispatch of hundreds of Texan soldiers to the border “to help intercept and repel” to migrants.

Mobile app

In an attempt to prevent mass arrivals at the border, Biden created new rules that encourage migrants to make an appointment for their asylum applications from a mobile application.

But those in Ciudad Juárez complain that the CBP One app doesn’t work well.

Frustrated, some have decided to turn themselves in to the US border patrol at one of the crossings.

“They tell us to stay calm, to wait here, but they never come back. We do not know why”, complained Marjorie, a Venezuelan mother of two children, ages 2 and 5.

In addition to this application for several months, a limited number of Venezuelans, Cubans, Haitians and Nicaraguans can request asylum, but only 30,000 per month and under conditions.

Some fear being stuck at the border with Mexico once Title 42 expires, with no chance of returning to a nation in crisis.

“I waited four months trying to apply, but it was ignoredGleidys Losada said. “All the people I know crossed through holes (illegal crossings). I stayed behind, and I decided that I couldn’t wait any longer.”

In south Brownsville, a makeshift processing center has been set up on a baseball field.

Hundreds of people, many Venezuelans, wander the streets in a tense atmosphere after the death of eight migrants hit by a van at a bus stop on Sunday. The driver, George Alvarez, has been charged with manslaughter.

At El Paso, the traditionally busiest border crossing, authorities are turning empty schools into shelters and beefing up transportation to help migrants get where they want to go to meet family or friends, or to look for work.

Source: AFP