A migrant family from Venezuela walks to Border Patrol after turning themselves in for crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.
On Wednesday, October 12th, the Biden administration decided upon a joint agreement with Mexico that overlooked how the US regularly accepts immigrants from Venezuela. This agreement gives humanitarian parole to almost "24,000" migrants but on the flip side has consequences for migrants crossing the country unlawfully.
This program is similar to Biden's "Uniting for Ukraine" and Venezuelans can apply for this program under various conditions. Some of the conditions include having a financial sponsor, not having crossed the border illegally before, and passing a National Security background check. This plan seeks to discourage Venezuelans from making dangerous journeys from Central America and Mexico to the US and instead provides reliable and safe routes. The controversial side comes in because this program expands the public health policy, "Title 42", which was set under the Trump administration and waived migrants' rights to seek asylum.
Even though the Biden administration has worked to expel this policy, the funny thing is that the new program relies on it. Before this announcement, Venezuelan Nationals were actually processed and admitted into the United States while being able to seek asylum. One of the reasons why this program was enacted was to a response to the large number of Venezuelans trying to cross the border this year. The U.S. border authorities encountered up to 153,905 Venezuelans this year which is the most ever encountered nationality at the border.
While many say that this new program was enacted to make sure Venezuelans crossed the border safely, it is a thumbs down to the fact that many illegal migrants will be sent back. The Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas even stated, "These actions make clear that there is a lawful and orderly way for Venezuelans to enter the United States, and lawful entry is the only way." Although the US is trying to protect the Venezuelans from dangerous journeys, they are also enacting expedited expulsion to the same population.
As we have seen political campaigns, the party in government can promise one thing but ultimately forget about it. Biden ran to take out Title 42 which was enacted by his predecessor, Donald Trump, but in the end only expanded it even with the dismay of many democrats. In Biden's own party, there has been mixed opinions where on one side, democrats and immigration advocates are happy that the US instilled a narrow and safe passageway but are still angry that Title 42 is in effect. This program can be seen by many as something to appease the middle spectrum of the political scale.
Sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOO4as94k1Y
https://www.newsnationnow.com/us-news/immigration/border-coverage/venezuelan-migrants-legal-entry/
https://www.deseret.com/u-s-world/2022/10/13/23402600/biden-program-legal-path-venezuelan-migrants
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/07/world/americas/venezuelan-migrants-us-border.html
https://www.news10.com/news/politics/ap-us-mulls-ukrainian-type-parole-for-venezuelan-migrants/
6 comments:
So as a TLDR: The US is allowing more migrants to come the legal way, but restricting against illegal immigration. This actually seems similar to the response to marijuana imposed by many states, where they make it legal, so it can be better controlled and regulated. -Zachary Peachin
Interestingly enough, I would argue that in a similar way to marijuana, illegal immigration will still occur and this policy will not actually help curb it. Illegal marijuana is still sold as it is much cheaper as there are fewer taxes. Similarly, it will still be much easier to enter the US illegally and then apply for asylum later.
Implementing effective and reasonable Immigration policy is a difficult task. Ensuring that people are still able to enter the US legally and documented for government record keeping while also making sure the process is simple and accessible to all immigrants is difficult. I think the recent arguments over immigration really stem from the problem of trying to find a right balance of keeping illegal immigration to a low while also allowing legal immigration and allowing those who need to leave the country to enter. I definitely agree with you about the difficulty regarding immigration policy due to political party agendas, as Democrats are trying to allow immigration while Republicans are always trying to keep illegal immigrants out, and these extremist, polarized views are what prevents the government from implementing a effective and cohesive policy. As seen with many of these blogs, the polarization between the two main parties is a major issue that really prevents effective and necessary decisions from being made, and it's a shame parties are too blind to realize that in this need to push their agenda, they cause others to suffer.
I'm not sure strengthening title 42 will have a great impact on the number of immigrants trying to enter illegally. Immigrants are aware of their illegal status, and still are protected by some laws. Sometimes the cause of immigration is so urgent that laws like this won't prevent people form still trying. This is a great example of how immigration policy is incredibly challenging. Both sides must be pleased to some degree.
Post a Comment