More than 8MILLION asylum seekers will soon live in the US – a 167% increase in five years as Biden’s lax policies continue to allow flood of migrants across southern border
The United States is expected to struggle with more than 8 million asylum seekers and migrants crossing the southern border by September.
The staggering figure represents a 167 percent increase in five years and underlines the challenges facing an immigration system that is both underfunded and outdated.
The vast majority of the nation’s 8 million people are now free to walk America’s streets, including 2 million “high priority” cases of career criminals seeking asylum.
The system appears to be struggling to cope with the rapid numbers of migrants flowing across the border, which reached a record high of 302,000 monthly crossings in December.
The backlog has left millions of migrants currently in the U.S. unsure whether they will be allowed to stay or simply deported.
The US is expected to have more than 8 million asylum seekers and migrants in legal limbo by the end of September, marking a 167 percent increase in five years
Migrants cross the Rio Grande on Thursday, on the border separating Mexico from the United States, in Juarez City, Mexico
Groups of migrants of different nationalities arrive at the Rio Grande, to cross it and surrender to US authorities, as elements of the Texas National Guard no longer prevent their passage in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on Saturday
Migrants attempt to cross the Rio Grande from Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico on Thursday
Migrants crossing the border often have to wait several years for a decision on their application. They have now been released onto American streets.
Recent data shows that the backlog has only increased during President Joe Biden’s term in office, reflecting in part the difficulties his administration has faced in addressing the unprecedented influx of migrants, mainly from Central and South America .
At the end of fiscal year 2023, on September 30, more than 6 million people were enrolled in what officials call the “non-incarcerated roll.”
According to administration projections, as communicated in homeland security documents sent to Congress, this number will rise to 8 million by October 1.
This number includes people who have been ordered deported or who are still awaiting their final decision in their asylum or immigration cases.
The majority are not held in the limited detention space available, but can move around freely.
The immigration system appears unable to keep pace with the growing migrant population, with more than 302,000 people crossing the border in December – a record high
The number of migrants crossing the southern border has skyrocketed since 2021
Groups of migrants of different nationalities arrive at the Rio Grande, to cross it and surrender to US authorities on Saturday
Activists and migrants at Mexico’s northern border expressed relief after a US judge delayed the start of Texas Law SB4, which would have allowed Texas authorities to detain, jail or expel migrants from February 26.
Firefighters (from left) Rodrigo Pineda, William Dorsey and Lt. Julio Valdes of the Eagle Pass Fire Department retrieve the body of a drowned migrant from the Rio Grande River in Eagle Pass, Texas, on Friday
Immigration and Customs Enforcement currently has only 40,000 detention beds.
Approximately 2 million of those in the backlog are considered high-priority cases, primarily those who have received deportation orders back to their home countries.
It also includes migrants who have a criminal record or are facing criminal charges.
Complicating matters further, federal immigration authorities, including Customs and Border Protection and ICE, are facing challenges due to partisan disputes in Congress, which have hampered the allocation of necessary resources.
The Biden administration has sought additional funding to address the border situation, but the requests have been met with resistance.
A bipartisan border deal that had been in the works for months was quashed by Republicans, who were influenced by Trump’s position on the issue.
Trump has highlighted the Biden administration’s ineffectiveness in addressing the problem as a campaign issue.
Republicans continue to push for the arrest and deportation of a greater number of migrants just as ICE is forced to consider budget cuts.
Migrants join arms as they wade into the Rio Grande River last month with the intention of crossing Eagle Pass, Texas
Migrants prepare to cross the Rio Grande on Thursday
Republican presidential candidate, former President Donald Trump, gestures after waving to people across the Rio Grande in Mexico in Shelby Park during a visit to the US-Mexico border
President Joe Biden greets Brownsville Mayor John Cowen on Thursday upon arrival in Brownsville, Texas, where he met with federal Border Patrol agents
Last month, the Senate failed to pass a bipartisan bill that would have addressed a $700 million budget shortfall for the agency — the largest in history. The failed bill would have allocated $7.6 billion specifically for ICE.
ICE and Department of Homeland Security officials said they are considering cutting costs by releasing thousands of immigrants and reducing detention levels by 16,000 — from 38,000 to 22,000.
Meanwhile, thousands of people continue to cross the border every day in desperate circumstances.
Following the failure of the bipartisan border deal, there is now speculation about whether President Biden will decide to embrace policies similar to Trump’s to curb illegal border crossings.
Regardless, immigration experts, officials and congressional sources agree that any policy that will be effective in addressing illegal border crossings will require substantial investments in personnel and other resources.