US tackles migration pressures
White House seeks ways to stem flow to border
WASHINGTON – The Biden administration laid out a series of plans Thursday tackling economic insecurity, corruption and other factors in Central America to mitigate migration from the region to the United States.
The plans include addressing economic insecurity and inequality, promoting human rights, and combating corruption and violence in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.
The strategy is part of Vice President Kamala Harris’ efforts to address and reduce migration from the Northern Triangle region. Harris, who was appointed in March to address the root causes of migration, visited Guatemala and Mexico in June, where she announced an Anticorruption Task Force and an anti-trafficking and anti-smuggling initiative.
There has been a dramatic increase in migrant children, families and adults coming to the U.S.-Mexico border. In June, the number of migrants encountered at the border by Customs and Border Protection reached a yearly high of 188,829.
The Biden administration is working with a number of nations to create other legal pathways of migration or temporary protections in those countries.
A senior administration official said the White House isn’t “seeking to end migration” but is “seeking to change the ways in which people migrate,” saying it doesn’t want migrants to turn to smugglers or trafficking.
The administration also is setting up resource centers in the Northern Triangle that would allow people to access information and be referred to legal pathways in their own country.
A senior administration official conceded that “one of the biggest challenges” the White House faces is finding solutions for people who urgently need to leave their home countries. Many of the migrants are fleeing gang violence, economic troubles and political turmoil.
The Biden administration has repeatedly told migrants not to come to the United States, saying the border is closed. The majority of migrants, with the exception of children and some families, coming to the U.S.-Mexico border are being turned away under Title 42, a policy that allows Customs and Border Protection to expel undocumented migrants to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in holding facilities.
This week, the Biden administration released a 21-point immigration plan that included renewing an expedited removal process for some immigrants and allowing asylum officers to adjudicate asylum claims for those arriving at the border.
In a statement Monday, the Department of Homeland Security said that certain family units who are unable to be expelled under Title 42 will now be placed in expedited removal proceedings. Created during the Clinton administration, expedited removal proceedings have been used by both Republican and Democratic administrations to allow immigration authorities to remove individuals and families without a hearing before an immigration judge.
The announcement was met with backlash from immigration activists.
“This policy is a fast track to deport children and families to the very danger they were fleeing and puts lives at risk,” said Jess Morales Rocketto, cofounder of Families Belong Together.