Biden to meet with Spain as they agree to take in migrants with Title 42 end

President Joe Biden will meet with his Hispanic counterpart on Friday to discuss migration after a slew of immigrants flooded the border after the pandemic-era Title 42 ended.

Spain – together with Canada – has agreed to accept asylum seekers from Latin America. That topic will be at the top of the agenda of Biden’s Oval Office meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, where they will also discuss the war in Ukraine and China’s growing influence.

A wave of people stormed across the border on Thursday night with the end of Title 42. The final number of crossings is unclear, but up to 10,000 people a day were held at the border this week.

The Biden administration has struggled to cope with the onset. Customs and Border Patrol officials are overwhelmed and Republicans are bashing the president’s handling of the issue.

Biden got a political boost this summer when Spain and Canada — both countries need more workers — agreed to take on a share of the asylum seekers. And it bolstered Biden’s argument that migration is a global problem that requires the entire world to be involved in the solution.

The two countries are working to set up migration hubs in Latin America where asylum seekers fleeing poverty and violence in their home countries can apply for protection.

The establishment of processing centers in Colombia and Guatemala and up to 100 others in the Western Hemisphere where migrants can go to apply to enter the US, Spain or Canada is intended to ease congestion along the southern border of to reduce America.

Spain will be able to choose migrants who have the skills needed to meet the country’s labor shortages.

The Spanish ministry has said the trajectory only applies to those who have already been granted international protection status, meaning migrants must be considered refugees to enter Spain.

The processing centers were announced last month but have yet to start operating. They are expected to process thousands of migrants per month.

United Nations agencies will operate the centers, but US officials will also be on hand to help process applications.

Also on the agenda is the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

In addition, Sánchez is expected to discuss with Biden his recent talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, both of whom have suggested ways to end Russia’s invasion.

Sanchez will propose giving more weight to the views of non-NATO countries affected by the war, a Spanish diplomatic source told Reuters.

The Biden administration was skeptical of China’s 12-point peace plan, saying that if Beijing takes the first point about respecting sovereignty seriously, it should urge Russia to withdraw from Ukraine.

As the Biden and Sanchez meet Friday afternoon in the Oval Office, the situation on the US-Mexico border will continue to dominate the news.

Immigrants seeking asylum who were apprehended when Title 42 expired are processed by US Border Patrol agents in Arizona

Migrants cross the Rio Grande River as they try to get to the US from Mexico

The Biden administration has unveiled strict new measures to replace Title 42, which since March 2020 has allowed border officials to quickly return asylum seekers across the border to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The new policy tackles illegal crossings and also opens up legal avenues for migrants who apply online, find a sponsor and undergo background checks. If successful, the reforms could fundamentally change the way migrants arrive at the US-Mexico border.

But it will take time to see results. Biden has admitted that the border will be chaotic for a while. Immigrant advocacy groups have threatened legal action. And migrants fleeing poverty, gangs and persecution in their homelands are still desperate for American soil at all costs.

Many migrants were well aware of impending policy changes as they searched Thursday for an opportunity to turn themselves in to U.S. immigration authorities before the 11:59 a.m. EDT deadline.

While Title 42 deterred many from seeking asylum, it had no legal effect, encouraging repeated attempts. After Thursday, migrants risk five years of entry into the US and possible criminal charges.

The storage facilities along the border were already well beyond their capacity.

But late Thursday, U.S. District Judge T. Kent Wetherell, an appointee of President Donald Trump, halted the administration’s plan to begin releasing migrants with notices that they must report to an immigration office within 60 days when the shelters open. reached 125% capacity, or where people are held for an average of 60 hours.

As the sun sets, migrants wait outside a gate in the border fence to enter El Paso, Texas, to be processed by Border Patrol

The quick releases would also be triggered when authorities stop 7,000 migrants along the border in a day.

Homeland Security announced a rule on Wednesday that makes it extremely difficult for anyone traveling through another country, such as Mexico, or who has not applied online, to qualify for asylum. It also introduced GPS-tracked curfews for families released before the first US asylum inquiries.