More surveillance, express deportations, wristband controls… The US shields the border against the arrival of thousands of migrants
The president of the United States himself, Joe Biden, has already said it: the next few days will be “chaos” on the 3,200-kilometer border with Mexico. It will be so because this Thursday (at 00:00 on May 12, Washington time) Title 42 is no longer in force. This norm has served the country to expel undocumented migrants by not allowing them to request asylum.
Title 42 was applied for its theoretical benefit to the public health of the country. The measure began to be applied in 2020 during the Administration of Donald Trump, regarding the Covid, but the current one of Biden has maintained it. Until today. In theory, the US changes its immigration policy.
Let people know that there is a legal way to get here and another that is not”
“What we are doing now is making legal migration faster, and illegal migration shorter (…), so that people know that there is a legal way to get here and another that is not,” Biden explained.. Actually, without 42, the White House brings back Title 8, the one that existed before, but with some changes.
As the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, has said, the end of Title 42 “does not mean that our border is open.”. He reminded journalists that “crossing irregularly is against the law and those who do not meet the requirements to receive help will be returned quickly.”
In reality, if we put ourselves in the shoes of a Guatemalan migrant trying to enter the US, things do not improve, that is, crossing is not going to be easier now. Mayorkas assures that the fact that 42 expires does not mean an open border, but “tougher consequences (under Title 8) for people who crossed the border illegally.”
Crossing irregularly is against the law and those who do not qualify for assistance will be returned.”
Biden has maintained Title 42 and now that it is repealed, he has approved a plan to make it more difficult for immigrants to apply for asylum based on Title 8. Adult asylum seekers are required to make an appointment with US officials or apply for asylum in another country before arriving in the US, using a mobile app, CBP One.
It went live in January and will continue regardless of Title 42. The method involves the expedited removal of some immigrants, including asylum seekers, so it drew criticism from human rights groups.
From Title 42 to Title 8
Decades-old application of 8 means migrants could face more serious consequences for crossing illegally. Asylum seekers who cross the border without first applying for asylum could be deported and barred from entering the US for at least five years.
In return, with Title 8 the processing times are longer than those of expulsions under 42. The US Administration has been devising the new mechanism for weeks. A few days ago, he reported the opening of Processing Centers in various Latin American countries, with the aim that migrants receive advice before starting the irregular path, in order to learn about the legal channels.
This will be what happens to you: you will be returned”
Government officials have announced this Wednesday new security measures. It is what they call a “comprehensive, multi-agency, and multinational plan based on law enforcement, deterrence, and diplomacy to humanely manage the border.”. These are the main measures:
- Families who may be deported but express their intent to seek asylum or present credible reasons why they might be in danger in their home countries may be served more quickly.
- Hasta la vista, they will have to adhere to a curfew and will wear a trackable anklet to be monitored.
- If your asylum claim is finally denied, you will be deported in less than 30 days.
- Hot returns: people who are detected between various crossing points on the border will also be deported at that time.
- Migrants who have not requested asylum in a third country, if they have crossed from a Central American country to Mexico and from there to the US, will not have the right to do so in US territory.
In the words of Mayorkas, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security: “This will be what happens to you: you will be returned.” In fiscal year 2022 alone, more than 2.76 million undocumented immigrants were intercepted in the US.
Thousands already at the border
The media present on the southern border of the United States with Mexico report the arrival of an increasing number of people at points such as the Mexican crossing of Ciudad Juárez, border with El Paso. US Customs and Border Protection prepares for more than 10,000 migrants to cross the border each day. In fact, an estimated 35,000 are already waiting on the ground.
Thus, in recent days, thousands of people have gathered at different points on the border. Many wait for the clock to strike midnight on the appointed day (the 12th) to try to cross at that time.. Others, on the other hand, try to pass before the police presence increases.
They face temperatures of more than 30 degrees Celsius with hardly any places in the shade. In addition, very strong winds caused a sandstorm that lasted for several hours.
Conditional freedom
A crowd of immigrants on parole for humanitarian reasons gathered this Wednesday in front of the offices of the NGO Team Brownsville, in Texas. Among them were migrants from China, Venezuela and Central American countries.
Washington will deploy 24,000 “law enforcement officers”, 4,000 soldiers and 1,000 new civil servants
For the past two weeks, this NGO has been receiving between 800 and 1,000 asylum seekers a day, CNN reports.. On Tuesday alone, it handled the papers of 844 migrants, including 30 children, and is operating at maximum capacity.
On the official side, Washington will deploy some 24,000 “law enforcement officers” on the border, in addition to some 400 “volunteers.”. In addition, the dispatch of 1,500 soldiers has been approved, which will be added to the 2,500 already deployed to provide logistical and administrative support to those in charge of immigration. Some 1,000 asylum officers to conduct credible fear interviews.