As Pandemic-Era Border Restrictions End, US Doesn't See Fresh Migrant Surge
Immigration has been a political albatross for Biden, with Republicans and even some fellow Democrats questioning if the White House was prepared to handle the migrant influx.
(Bloomberg) -- US authorities are seeing historic numbers of migrants arrive at the border with Mexico, but no fresh spike following the expiration of pandemic-era border restrictions.
“We continue to encounter high levels of noncitizens at the border but we did not see a substantial increase overnight or an influx at midnight,” Blas Nuñez-Neto, assistant Homeland Security secretary for border and immigration policy, told reporters Friday.
Nuñez-Neto declined to give the specific number of encounters that occurred Friday after the border limits, known as Title 42, were officially lifted. Authorities said in recent days the number stood at an all-time high of 10,000 daily.
Biden administration officials expressed concern that a series of legal issues, including a federal judge in Florida who blocked migrants from being released from Border Patrol custody without court notices, could further strain resources and prevent them from executing their plans.
Nuñez-Neto said the administration would comply with the ruling, but is assessing its next steps, which could include an appeal.
The court decision “will result in unsafe overcrowding” at US Customs and Border Protection facilities “and undercut our ability to efficiently process and remove migrants, which will risk creating dangerous conditions,” he said.
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The situation at the border threatens to deliver a blow to President Joe Biden. Just two weeks after announcing his reelection bid, Biden is already grappling with low approval ratings, a showdown with Republicans over raising the US debt limit and questions about whether the oldest-ever US president is capable of guiding the nation for another six years.
Immigration has been a political albatross for Biden, with Republicans and even some fellow Democrats questioning if the White House was prepared to handle the migrant influx.
The Biden administration has rejected the notion it was caught flat-footed, touting actions designed to curb the number of people traveling to the border.
Biden on Tuesday acknowledged “it’s going to be chaotic for a while” but stressed he and his administration have spoken with regional leaders including Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, whose country has agreed to accept a certain number of migrants expelled from the US.
The administration finalized a major shift in asylum policy Wednesday, making it easier for US agents to deport asylum-seekers who do not first apply for protections in a country they traveled through, book an appointment with US immigration authorities and satisfy other requirements. That would allow authorities to rapidly expel migrants after losing their ability to quickly turn them back under Title 42.
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The regulation, however, faces a court challenge from the American Civil Liberties Union and immigrant-rights groups who say it violates US and international law protecting people’s right to seek asylum.
US authorities are also working to establish processing centers in Latin American countries and have coordinated with international organizations to screen migrants. Those centers, however, are not yet up and running.
The administration allowed migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to apply for temporary status known as humanitarian parole that allows them to live and work in the US for two years. Texas and other Republican-led states are suing to halt the program.
At the border, 1,000 more asylum officers were being sent to Border Patrol facilities to process asylum requests and 1,500 US military personnel will be there to help with logistical tasks. Roughly 1,400 medical staff and 1,100 processing coordinators are also being sent to the southwest border.
Biden has been kept abreast of developments at the border. On Thursday he met with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and other officials to discuss the situation. Mayorkas has played a prominent role in the response, traveling to the border in south Texas and repeatedly warning migrants not to make the dangerous journey north in a series of media appearances.
Biden’s outgoing domestic policy director, Susan Rice, has overseen the administration’s immigration policy moves. Vice President Kamala Harris, who was given the job of addressing the root causes of migration from Central America, has been regularly briefed on preparations for Title 42’s end, according to a White House official.
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