United States President Joe Biden's new border plan would send migrants back to Mexico if they illegally entered the country via the southern border, a policy that is similar to the former administration's agenda.
On Wednesday, the Biden administration quietly announced that Venezuelans who illegally enter the US will be "returned" to Mexico. Authorities also said that those seeking asylum must secure a sponsor, undergo a public safety screening, and fulfill certain, as of yet unspecified vaccination requirements.
Biden's New Border Plan
The requirements for asylum seekers were revealed in a statement put out by the Department of Homeland Security. The new policy comes after New York City has, for months, buckled under the strain of a flow of migrants, many of whom are Venezuelans, into the five boroughs in search of refuge.
So far in 2022, there are nearly 20,000 migrants who have traveled to the Big Apple seeking asylum. During that time, New York City Mayor Eric Adams requested assistance from the state and federal government to help alleviate some of the pressure from the influx of new arrivals that have pressured the city's homeless shelter system, as per the New York Daily News.
Biden's newly-announced policy, details of which were posted on the DHS' website on Wednesday, is similar to former President Donald Trump's policy on migrants. This is because it allows migrants to be returned to Mexico if they illegally enter the United States.
However, there are two areas that the Democrat's policy that differs from the Republican's, which are the provision that asylum seekers must secure sponsorship in the form of someone providing financial support in the US and a clearer path to legal residency.
According to Fox News, the policy surprised a group of roughly 30 Venezuelan migrants when they learned they would be sent back to Mexico. Some migrants pleaded for the US to accept them, arguing that they had nowhere to go in Mexico. Others said that their home country was dangerous.
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Entering the United States
The program that would allow legal migrants is capped at just 24,000 people. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said on Thursday that the actions make clear that there is a lawful and orderly way for Venezuelans to enter the US
The official noted that anyone who attempts to cross the southern border of the United States illegally will be sent back to Mexico and they will be ineligible for the process of entering the country in the future.
Furthermore, the new border enforcement operation will increase checkpoints at the southern border and crack down on human trafficking operations. Authorities from the Customs and Border Protection reported more than 25,000 encounters with Venezuelan migrants at the border in August, which is an increase from roughly 6,000 encounters in the same month last year.
A senior administration official noted that the new policy aims to address particular acute issues that the US is currently facing at the border. It would also provide an opportunity for vulnerable Venezuelans to seek legal means of entering the United States, ABC News reported.
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