What’s Going On At The U.S. Border?

The number of migrants arriving at the United States southern border is at a 20 year high. President Joe Biden has told those heading for the border, “Don’t leave your town or city or community.” Some suggest that the influx is due to Donald Trump’s departure out of office, citing the deconstruction of the wall and looser immigration policies as encouraging signs to potential migrants. What exactly is happening at the border?

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, said, “The message is quite clear: do not come. The border is closed. The border is secure. We are expelling families. We are expelling single adults under the CDC’s authority under Title 42 of the United States Code because we’re in the midst of the pandemic and that is a public imperative.” 

What is ‘Title 42’? Title 42 is a Trump-era policy that allowed the indefinite closure of the border to non-essential travel, a measure intended to halt the spread of the coronavirus. 

The majority of migrants are coming from the Northern Triangle: El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. Violence, poverty and devastation as a result of recent hurricanes and the pandemic, have caused thousands to try and flee to the U.S. through Mexico. El Salvador continues to face issues with high levels of gang intimidation and domestic violence, while Hondurans are struggling with a decline in their economy, worsened by the pandemic, and in Guatemala, they are dealing with a lack of internet, exponential homicide rates, and negative economic growth. Many people living in all three countries in the Northern Triangle are facing unlivable conditions due to these issues.

But why is there a sudden influx now? Although the issues facing the Northern Triangle are one factor, another is to be found in the difference between Trump’s and Biden’s approach to immigration. The Trump administration barred asylum seekers by creating policies such as family separation. The Migrant Protection Protocols otherwise known as the “Remain in Mexico” policy, put thousands in danger after forcing them to make their case for asylum while residing in Mexico. Biden has since rescinded this policy. Rumors circulating throughout Central America suggest that Biden has opened the borders. Many continue to have hope that the president will let them cross the border even though Biden has declared otherwise. 

Although Biden is seeking to avoid Trump’s heavy-handed approach to immigration, the president has reported that the “vast majority” of arriving migrants are being sent back. Biden said, “If you take a look at the number of people who are coming, the vast majority, the overwhelming majority of people who are coming to the border crossing are being sent back.” After admitting that these groups are heading to the U.S. for their own safety and as a result of circumstances in their country, it seems immoral to send them back over the border. It is completely legal under U.S. law to request asylum, even during a pandemic.

Ana Vasquez, a migrant being held on the Paso del Norte International Bridge with her 5-year-old son Rudy, spoke to NPR about her experience. Vasquez said she fled El Salvador after gangs killed her husband, resulting in her living on the streets of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico with her son. “They killed him, and now what am I and my son supposed to do?” The United States has refused her entry and it is likely she and her son will end up back on the streets. Vasquez’s case is similar to tens of thousands of others.

As the annual cold weather takes hold, the number of migrants approaching the border climbs. Child migration statistics are particularly high this year and the number of unaccompanied child migrants is rising month on month. Under immigration law, children cannot be immediately sent back over the border like adults. Instead, they are moved to government facilities where they reside until suitable adult sponsors can be acquired as their immigration case gets sorted. 

Children appear in cramped conditions in a facility at the U.S-Mexico border. (Reuters)

As of March 21, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents detained more than 15,000 children in camps that are often compared to warehouses or jails. These conditions are unsuitable for any child, even temporarily. In a similar manner as the Trump era, children reside in cramped, overcrowded and inhumane conditions. Lacking adequate sanitation, food, and social distancing, they sleep on thin mattresses wrapped in plastic with mylar blankets for warmth. Whilst adults continue to be sent back over the border due to Title 42, under CDC guidance, children are allowed to stay in facilities that operate with 100% capacity. This contradiction in policy use threatens the justification of Title 42. 

Instead of being greeted with safety and security, thousands of children sit huddled together in a soulless detention facility as adults are denied asylum.