Washington, D.C., USA

In his first major speech on border security on Thursday, President Joe Biden stated that the United States will expand restrictions implemented during the Trump administration to swiftly expel Cuban, Nicaraguan, and Haitian migrants who are caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally.
Biden stated that the United States will simultaneously allow up to 30,000 individuals from those three nations, in addition to Venezuela, to enter the country via air each month.

The two-pronged strategy is intended to appease Democrats and immigration advocates who claim that “Title 42” restrictions imposed by former President Donald Trump prevent migrants from exercising their right to apply for asylum while a record number of migrants cross the U.S.-Mexico border.

In a speech delivered at the White House, Biden stated, “This new process is orderly, it’s safe, and it’s humane.” He stated that the following is his message to potential migrants without a sponsor from the United States: Do not simply appear at the border.”

According to data provided by the United States government, in November, 82,000 migrants from Venezuela and those countries attempted to enter the United States without permission at the border with Mexico.

The strategy is a part of a larger effort to prevent record numbers of people from crossing the border and to deal with the political and humanitarian issue of mass migration, which has plagued the Democratic president ever since he took office in 2021, as well as the presidents of both parties before him.

Biden stated that although “these actions alone are not going to fix our entire immigration system,” they may “help a good deal.”

Jay Timmons, president of the National Association of Manufacturers, praised Biden’s actions, but noted that congressional reforms were still required, particularly “with 779,000 open jobs and not enough Americans to fill these vacancies.”

The expansion of these policies has been criticized by Democrats, including Senator Bob Menendez, who referred to them as “a disastrous and inhumane relic of the Trump administration’s racist immigration agenda” on Thursday.

Biden has been criticized by Republicans for what they call lax border enforcement, and Republicans have rejected the president’s proposals for immigration reform and funding for it in Congress.

Biden argued that the United States has a duty to accept people from all over the world who are being persecuted and defended the role immigrants play.

Although the system will be slowed until Congress approves funds for additional resources, officials in the United States state that the government can use existing resources to deport migrants and process asylum seekers.

Biden stated, “We don’t have enough immigration judges to decide the claims.”

Border Post in El Paso

On Sunday, Biden will make his first trip to the border with Mexico since taking office, traveling to El Paso, Texas.

Tens of thousands of migrants from Mexico have been crossing the border into El Paso, a Democratic stronghold that has a long history of welcoming immigrants.

When Vice President Biden travels to Mexico City next Tuesday for a summit with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, it is anticipated that immigration will be a top topic of conversation.

Mexico’s government stated that Washington had “responded positively” to Mexico’s requests to expand labor and humanitarian opportunities for migrants in the region in response to Biden’s actions. According to Mexico, the American plan would also broaden refugee resettlement procedures.

Mexico’s government stated in a statement that the monthly cap of 30,000 people provides a “significant alternative to irregular migratory flows that can carry significant risks for the safety of migrants and refugees.”

According to the report, the greatest increase in U.S. labor opportunities for migrants in recent years would occur if the humanitarian access applications were filled, resulting in a total of 360,000 people having access to the program in 2023.

Mexico will accept up to 30,000 refugees per month from Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti, and Venezuela under the plan that was announced on Thursday. A senior official stated that migrants who are unable to return to Mexico will increasingly be subjected to a rapid deportation procedure known as “expedited removal.”

The Biden administration planned to implement the new curbs and entry program, according to Reuters last week.

A decision by the U.S. Supreme Court at the end of December mandated that Title 42’s pandemic-era restrictions remain in place for what could be months as a legal battle progresses, prompting the policy change.

Alejandro Mayorkas, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary, stated at a news conference that the Biden administration intends to propose a regulation that would restrict asylum access at the border if migrants do not adhere to the new procedures or if they pass through another country on their way to the United States without seeking protection there.

During the Trump administration, similar restrictions on asylum access were met with opposition from advocates and were stopped by federal courts.

According to Mayorkas, the Biden restrictions would be different because migrants would be able to apply for entry through new legal channels, which would bring “order and safety” to the asylum process.