Ahead of US President Joe Biden’s first visit to the border city of El Paso in the state of Texas, several hundred people protested against the US government’s new measures to curb illegal immigration into the United States.
In El Paso, Biden wants to get an idea of the situation on the country’s southern border and the work of border guards. The situation has been particularly tense for a few weeks now. According to senior government officials, an average of 8,000 people gathered there every day in December. There is not enough accommodation. The mayor of El Paso declared a state of emergency.
New immigration rules are expected to allow more migrants from Venezuela, Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua to enter the United States legally, as long as they meet certain requirements. There are about 30,000 migrants per month, according to US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas. In return, 30,000 people who entered illegally from these countries would be deported to Mexico every month.
Under the newly announced rules, people who have a U.S. sponsor and pass the appropriate background checks must be able to apply for their entry permit online and enter the U.S. regularly, where they can live and work for two years.
Democrat Biden has been repeatedly attacked by Republicans because of the high number of migrants. For his part, Biden accused Republicans in Congress of blocking a package of reforms in immigration policy that he presented at the beginning of his term. Republicans also rejected his request for an additional $3.5 billion to secure the border.