From the BBC:
“US detentions at Mexico
border pass two million a year for first time”
(Migrants after being detained in
El Paso, Texas on 12 September)
More than two million migrants
were detained at the US-Mexico border over the past year, a record figure that
creates a political headache for the Biden administration. According to new
figures from US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the figure of 2.15 million
represents a 24% increase on the year before. The statistics show that the number of
migrants from Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba rose dramatically, while the number
from Mexico and Central America's Northern Triangle of El Salvador, Guatemala
and Honduras fell. In a statement, CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus said that
"failing Communist regimes" were "driving a new wave of
migration" at the border. Experts point to several other reasons for the
spike, including large numbers of repeat crossings and lingering pandemic-related
economic issues across Latin America. The rising number of migrants at the
border is a politically contentious issue ahead of the US midterm elections in
November. President Joe Biden and other Democrats have been criticised by
political opponents over the rise, while there has also been growing tension
between the White House and some state governments - most visibly in the form
of migrants being bussed or flown to Democratic-run areas such as New York and
Washington DC.
Why the recent spike?
The number of migrants arriving
at the border rose dramatically after Mr Biden took office in late January
2020. Experts point to a number of reasons for the increase, including
environmental disasters and economic woes in El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala.
In other cases - such as Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela - economic problems have
been compounded by political repression. "There's a level of desperation
we hadn't quite seen before," said Adam Isacson, a migration and border
expert from the Washington Office on Latin America. "And you've got people
coming from countries that had not sent migrants in significant numbers before
now becoming top senders of migrants, due largely to a lack of economic
opportunities. Smugglers take advantage of that." Many of the migrants are
now seeking asylum, a process which was severely restricted by the previous US
administration of Donald Trump.
Where are the migrants from? Migrants
from Mexico and the countries of Central America's Northern Triangle -
Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras - continue to account for the bulk of the
total, with Mexicans alone accounting for about 744,000 of the detentions over
the past year. CBP's August figures, however, highlight shifting
migration patterns. The number of Mexicans, Salvadorans, Guatemalans and
Hondurans fell 43% compared to August 2021. The numbers of Cubans, Nicaraguans
and Venezuelans, on the other hand, have risen 175% over the same time period.
Collectively, these three nationalities account for about 494,000 of the
migrant detentions this year. Ariel Ruiz, a policy expert with the
Washington DC-based Migration Policy Institute, noted that the links between
these countries also contribute to increases in each. 'They'd rather die
than return to Nicaragua' Cuba, for example, has lost much of the aid it
received from Venezuela pre-pandemic - creating more economic difficulties
there - while Nicaragua's decision last year to eliminate visa requirements for
Cubans means they now have a starting point to begin their journey from Central
America to the US. A lack of diplomatic relations between the US and these
countries also means that the US cannot repatriate them home. "We have a
system of enforcement at the border that's really meant to respond to Mexican
migration," Mr Ruiz said. "All these policy schemes have combined in
some ways to provide an opportunity for migrants to head northward, at the same
time as economic conditions and political repression worsen in these
countries." Mr Biden, for his part, has said that sending migrants back to
Cuba, Venezuela or Nicaragua is "not rational" and that he is working
with Mexico and other countries to "stop the flow".
A Trump policy remains Since
coming into office, Mr Biden has kept in place a controversial Trump-era policy
which allows officials to automatically expel undocumented migrants seeking
entry, bypassing normal immigration laws and protections. The policy -
known as Title 42 - was originally aimed at preventing the spread of Covid-19
in holding facilities. Some experts, however, believe that Title 42 has
caused migrant figures to rise as the policy does not prevent migrants from
multiple crossing attempts. On Monday, CBP said "the large number
of expulsions during the pandemic has contributed to a higher-than-usual number
of migrants making multiple border crossing attempts". Mr Isacson
said that the policy leads to statistical "distortions". "We're
not actually hitting two million individuals, But Title 42 has made it easy for
people to try over and over and over," he said. "If they keep getting
caught, there's no real sanction." Statistically, Mexican citizens
are likely to be repatriated back to Mexico, which also accepts migrants from
Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. Collectively, more than 962,000 citizens
of these countries have been sent back across the border using Title 42 over
the past year compared to less than 10,000 from Nicaragua, Cuba and Venezuela.
A political headache for Biden
The rising migrant figures represent a growing political problem for the
Biden administration, particularly with the midterm elections rapidly
approaching. Three Republican-run states - Texas, Arizona and Florida -
have announced initiatives to move migrants to Democratic-led ones, sometimes
leaving them at high-profile locations such as wealthy Martha's Vineyard in
Massachusetts or near Vice-President Kamala Harris' residence in Washington DC.
Officials in these states have argued that the tactic is aimed at
mitigating the impact of migration flows in local communities. Florida Governor
Ron DeSantis, for example - who earlier in September began to fly migrants to
Massachusetts - said that "the minute even a small fraction of what those
border towns deal with every day is brought to their front door, they
[Democrats] all of a sudden go berserk". The issue of migrants at
the border is one that is likely to have an impact at the polls. A recent poll
from NPR and Marist, for example, found that immigration was a primary
electoral issue - behind only inflation - for 20% of Republican voters,
compared to 1% of Democrats. Juscelino Colares, a professor of political
science at Case Western Reserve University, said the issue is one that has the
potential to cause "swing" among many voters, particularly those who
live near the border - even among those who are naturalised immigrants or the
children of immigrants. "[People there] have seen the demands that
uncontrolled immigration has brought to their localities. And they, and those
migrants who have become legal, tend to hold the view that immigration should
be taken seriously," he said. "I think inflation will play a bigger
role in the midterms and the economy is causing greater concern, but
immigration is a significant concern to the US electorate," he added.
^ Illegal Immigrants continue to
enter the United States in record numbers because all sides: Republicans,
Democrats, Biden and Congress do not want to do what is necessary to stop the
illegal flow of people into our country. The records will only continue to
increase until something concrete is done. ^
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