Joe Biden’s campaign message was clear when he ran for president.
This has led to a surge in immigration at the border, as Biden’s policies made it easier for them to cross (especially after trying not to eliminate border patrol among other ideas). Biden felt that immigrants trying to cross the border feel like he is inviting them to America. Mexico, a corrupt and failing nation-state, won’t do anything.
According to Reuters, we are now 25 months later after Biden was elected, and Biden’s administration has finally tried to do something to stop the surge at the border.
Two officials from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), told Reuters that the administration of Joe Biden is working on a comprehensive bill to overhaul the country’s asylum system in order to accelerate the resolution of claims at large-scale processing centers near the border with Mexico.
According to two sources who asked for anonymity to discuss internal discussions, the effort was born out of ongoing Biden administration talks to reimagine asylum. Border crossings have reached new record highs and immigration courts are facing steep backlogs. They said that U.S. officials visited Europe last month, with a stop in the Netherlands to inspect systems.
Finally, some substance for an administration that has not been able to offer a solution to the scourge of our border. Although the ideas aren’t terrible, they won’t be enough.
Sources said that the legislation, which is still in its conceptual phase, could also provide different procedures for asylum seekers based on nationality. Migrants from countries with higher approval rates would be granted more freedom to move while they wait for the outcome of their cases.
According to the officials, those with higher chances of success could be placed in apartments or other less restrictive settings than detention centers. The officials said that migrants who are less likely to be granted asylum could be deported and processed quickly. According to government data, 53% of Chinese asylum applicants won their cases at immigration court in the fiscal year 2022, while only 8% of Hondurans did.
One DHS official stated that it was a complete rethinking of the approach, and not restricted by existing laws.
It is important to remember that this bill is a concept at the moment. It is not possible to review or vet the copy, let alone send it to Congress. It is difficult to determine if these Biden officials are serious or trying to appear like they are doing something.
The truth is that the Biden team has not been equipped to deal with this crisis. They even refuse to label it a crisis. It is difficult to believe them when they claim they are trying to fix an issue that their border patrol has been telling it is a chaotic mess for the past two years.
