Officials said Tuesday that the US government is ready to deal with a potential influx of immigrants next month after lifting restrictions that have allowed two years of immediate deportation of migrants caught at the border.
These sources said that the Joe Biden administration will develop a “comprehensive strategy” to deal with the increase in the arrival of asylum seekers and refugees after the expiration of this body called “Address 42”, which is scheduled for May 23.
The immigrants will then be able to apply for leave on humanitarian grounds, a move critics say could overburden border authorities and allow hundreds of thousands of immigrants to remain on US soil while their applications are processed.
Those who have no reason to be accepted into the United States, especially if they try to cross the border multiple times, could face prosecution, according to the executives.
A senior official summed up the condition of anonymity: “Simply put, when Title 42 is lifted, asylum and other legal avenues of immigration will remain open to those seeking protection, and those who do not meet the criteria will be removed promptly.”
The Biden administration, aware of a Louisiana judge’s intention to suspend the lifting of Section 42, set up by former Republican President Donald Trump, has indicated that it will comply with that court decision when it becomes official.
But such a judge’s order “would make no sense,” as it would “prevent us from properly preparing for the systematic implementation of immigration law” when health no longer justifies the use of these COVID-19-related restrictions.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has already claimed that these measures are “no longer necessary” due to “a greater availability of tools to combat COVID-19.”
Immigration flows, which had fallen sharply at the start of the pandemic, began to increase again before Joe Biden took office more than a year ago, but they clearly jumped after that.
Most immigrants arrive from Central and Latin America, but some come from as far away as southern Asia, and more recently from Ukraine.
US government officials said they are increasing cooperation with Central American countries to slow the flow of migrants, send migrants back to their countries, and broaden the fight against smuggling groups.
But they acknowledged that the presence of large immigrant camps on the Mexican side of the southern border could lead to a rapid rise in arrivals if Section 42 is lifted.
