Countdown to carnage: Biden administration admits migrants will
The Biden administration has admitted that thousands of migrants will pour into the United States as Covid-era draconian deportation powers will be lifted.
US officials estimate that as many as 10,000 people cross from Mexico every day.
They say the number will rise once Title 42, a coronavirus emergency law that makes it easier to boot illegals, expires at midnight Thursday.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas warned that the coming days and weeks “could potentially be very difficult.”
The authorities have amended the asylum rules, which means that applications that have not been submitted online first will be rejected.
Thousands of migrants wait at the US-Mexico border as they wait for Title 42 to be lifted before attempting to enter the country
Many of the migrants have traveled through various countries in Central America to try to enter the US
Homeland Security Security Alejandro Mayorkas admitted that there will be a wave of crossings in the coming days
Would-be migrants who fail to do so may also be denied the right to remain in the US if they have passed through a safe country without seeking protection there.
Another rule, called Title 8, means that migrants caught sneaking into the US must be quickly deported, but also given a five-year ban from applying for legal entry.
“Our plan will produce results, but it will take some time to fully realize those results,” Mayorkas said.
Joe Biden himself has also said that he expects the wave of crossing asylum seekers to be “chaotic for a while.”
The American network NBC News reported that border guards have been ordered to release migrants with no court dates or the ability to track them.
It cited three sources familiar with the plan to draft a memo declaring U.S. Customs and Border Protection to release asylum seekers due to overcrowding.
“We’re already breaking and we haven’t made it to the start yet,” said a DHS official.
Art Del Cueto, a Border Patrol union leader, called the current situation “beyond catastrophic” and “unsustainable.”
More than 29,000 are currently in CBP custody, the highest number on record, with nearly 18,000 arrested in the last 24 hours.
It will pressure Biden administration officials to reduce crossings to the US
Although a deal has already been made with Mexico to take back Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans who have had their asylum applications rejected.
Border shelters in El Paso, Texas are already overwhelmed by the large numbers of migrants entering and some are forced to sleep on the streets.
The border town is one of many to have declared a state of emergency.
Last week, a top government watchdog released a shocking report that painted a bleak picture of how border officials are handling it.
The Inspector General’s Office said border troops are struggling to deal with the increased number of migrants due to low staffing levels.
Researchers warned that border and immigration officials may retire early or retire unless working conditions improve quickly.
There are some 24,000 law enforcement officers stationed along the 3,000-mile southwestern border with Mexico.
Another 1,500 troops are being sent to support US Customs and Border Protection and the 2,500 National Guard troops are already there.
The president, who is seeking re-election in 2024, has seen his public approval ratings sink due to the crisis.
The Biden administration had vowed to set up processing centers in Guatemala and Colombia to stem the flow of arrivals
They stood at 40% in recent days, close to the lowest level since he took office in 2021, with Americans dissatisfied with immigration and the state of the economy.
At least 2.3 million migrants tried to enter the United States illegally through the Mexican border last year, according to US Customs and Border Protection.
That’s more than 1.7 million people in 2021 and just over 450,000 the year before, when much of the world went into lockdown during the pandemic.
Emergency powers to remove migrants, known as Title 42, arose from a 79-year-old federal law that Donald Trump used on public health issues.
Republicans are also angry that Joe Biden scrapped his predecessor’s key anti-immigration policy: a $16.6 billion border barrier along the border with Mexico.