Immigration: Biden administration braces for new wave of migrants as it rolls out new immigration plans

Among the first steps Biden plans to take is proposing legislation that would provide a pathway to citizenship for the millions of undocumented immigrants currently in the United States. The legislation, which has already been drafted, includes an immediate path to citizenship for participants in the Child Arrivals Deferred Action Program and Temporary Protected Status Program, among others, border technology and aid to Central America, according to people with knowledge of the plan. .

But while Biden pledged to take a more humane approach to those arriving at the southern U.S. border, new officials have publicly warned migrants that restrictive policies put in place under President Donald Trump would take time to go back – a point Biden acknowledged.

“The last thing we need is to say that we are going to immediately stop the – you know – access to asylum as it is currently being managed and we will end up with 2 million people at our border. It’s about setting up the guardrail so that we can move in the direction, “ Biden said last month.

But behind the scenes, plans have been put in place to prepare for the new arrivals, which have gradually accelerated since last year and present an immediate challenge to the incoming administration as it puts its own policies in place. ‘immigration.

The Department of Homeland Security has contingency plans in place, in anticipation of an increase in the number of migrants at the southern border due to deteriorating conditions in Latin America and a perceived easing of enforcement of the law, and relayed those plans to transition officials, according to a senior DHS official. The plans include, for example, the use of flexible facilities that take into account Covid-19 precautions.

Non-governmental organizations and the Biden Transition engaged in regular planning conversations that mainly focused on connecting with direct service providers at the entrance to ports to begin to have a more nuanced perspective on treatment and regional differences, according to two familiar sources with discussions.

The long term plan is to launch a regional strategy that tackles root causes and widens migration routes.

Migrants from Central America

According to Guatemala’s official immigration agency, around 7,000 to 8,000 migrants destined for the United States have entered Guatemala from Honduras since Friday.

The caravans, as they are largely called, are in part intended to provide security in numbers as migrants embark on the dangerous journey north. The Trump administration has taken over caravans to support controversial and restrictive policies that have largely sealed off the United States, but this is only a means of migration.

“It attracts disproportionate attention because it’s a lot of people. They do it for safety, they do it for the community. … It doesn’t necessarily mean they have a better chance of getting in,” he said. said Theresa Brown, director of immigration. and cross-border politics at the Bipartisan Policy Center.

“We had known for some time that there was pent-up demand to come to the United States,” Brown added, citing conditions in Latin America.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Monday the country was closely monitoring the development of a caravan of migrants heading to the United States from Central America, adding that he was speaking with government officials from America. Central and American, including the new Biden administration. Lopez Obrador said his team was “in communication with the United States government, current officials and those involved in the new government” around the trailer issue.

Reversing the policies of the Trump administration

The Trump administration has taken an aggressive stance on the US-Mexico border, leading to thousands of migrants waiting at the southern border for their US immigration court date and, during the coronavirus pandemic, rapid expulsion of migrants, including children.

In this case, the administration will also have to deal with the ongoing migration. “That’s going to be the challenge with this administration. They’re going to have to deal with this as they plan what they want it to look like,” Brown said.