Joe Biden has recently had an easy time of it when it comes to immigration. Because the crisis, the malaise or the reality, depending on what label we attach to it, goes far beyond the thousands of migrants who continue to cross the border into Mexico.
It was easy for him because the war in Ukraine is making more noise and attracting more attention. Donald Trump and his legal circus have also captivated the media, limiting reporting on the increase in arrivals into the country since the beginning of the year.
It was easy for him, too, because his Republican opponents, who have gotten used to riding this horse over the years, are embroiled in a fratricidal war, especially in Congress, where a radical minority has chosen scorched-earth politics.
A distress in the south…
Every day more migrants crowd along the country’s southern border. Last week in Eagle Pass, Texas, a city of 28,000, 2,700 migrants crossed the border one day and another 3,000 the next, enough for Mayor Rolando Salinas to designate his city a “disaster area.” This is just one example among many.
There are no signs that the situation will improve in the short term, on the contrary. The International Organization for Migration, a U.N. agency, reported this week a historic surge of migrants in the Americas, the vast majority of them trying to get to the United States.
Costa Rica and Panama are increasingly calling for help. This year, Panamanians are seeing a record number of migrants crossing the dangerous Darien jungle from Colombia. More than 390,000 people have braved the dangers of this route so far, 82,000 in August alone, the highest number ever recorded.
…LIKE IN THE NORTH
Fed up with these arrivals and a good dose of political theater, Arizona and Texas, with a helping hand from Florida, chartered free buses to “sanctuary cities” run by Democrats such as Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia and Washington.
There are no signs that the situation will improve in the short term, on the contrary. The V, a U.N. agency, reported this week on a historic surge of migrants in America, the vast majority of them trying to get to the United States.
As a result, New York, already struggling with its own housing crisis, turned to hotels, a cruise terminal, a former police academy building and other sites, to the dismay of a growing number of residents.
It’s not like the White House is sitting idle. Congress has long been encouraged to enact fundamental reform of the country’s immigration system. 800 soldiers have been sent to the border, joining the 2,500 National Guard members already stationed there. And $4 billion in emergency funding has been requested in response to the influx in recent weeks.
Despite all this, the impression is that President Biden is devoting a lot of time and resources to the Ukrainians, while the ticking of the migration bomb is getting louder.
AMERICANS dissatisfied with border management
What are your views on President Biden?
Approval rejection
His work as president 37% 56%
His management of the economy 30% 64%
His immigration policy
on the border between Mexico and the United States 23% 62%
(Source: Washington Post-ABC News, September 15-20, 2023)
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Number of arrests at the southern border:
2020: 458,088
2021: 1,734,682
2022: 2,378,944
2023 (with a final month of the fiscal year): 2,206,039
(Source: US Customs and Border Protection, September 2023)