The Biden administration has unveiled new policies aimed at addressing the influx of migrants crossing the southern border of the United States. The change in approach comes as the Covid-related restrictions that allowed US officials to swiftly turn away migrants who crossed the border illegally have ended.
The new policies are a departure from the more lenient immigration policies pursued by President Biden in his first year in office. The updated approach involves a combination of increased enforcement measures and expanded legal pathways and diplomacy. The model focuses on creating lawful pathways and imposing consequences for those who choose not to use them.
To implement the new policies, the administration has admitted up to 100,000 Ukrainians for a two-year period, provided they apply online, have a financial backer, and enter through an airport. The administration plans to expand this policy to Venezuelans, who will now be required to cross the border with sponsorship or face being turned back to Mexico. The goal is to reduce the number of illegal crossings.
Despite this, the administration’s new policies have been criticized by some on the left, who see them as too similar to the approach taken by former President Trump. Others doubt whether any policy will be able to halt the flow of migrants or whether the new policies can survive expected legal challenges and a lack of resources. Some immigration experts, however, believe that the approach strikes a balance that will lead to fewer illegal crossings while still providing a haven for those fleeing persecution.
When President Biden first took office, he signed executive actions to undo the immigration policies of his predecessor and backed legislation to provide a path to citizenship for millions of undocumented people. His administration was staffed with immigrant advocates who pushed back against what they saw as anti-immigrant policies from the previous administration.
However, the number of unaccompanied children and families arriving at the border began to increase, prompting the administration to strategize to manage the numbers. The legal pathway for asylum seekers is narrow, and most do not meet the standard, leading to increasing numbers of people trying to cross the border. The administration’s new policy aims to build lawful pathways and impose consequences on those who do not use them.
The success of the new policy will be a test for President Biden as the border issue moves back into the political spotlight. Republicans have sought to portray him as soft on security, and how the new policies play out could have an impact on his administration’s broader immigration agenda.
