by Dianelis Hernández
US President Joe Biden signsExecutive Order on Tuesday, which will allow him to drastically reduce the number of asylum applications at the border with Mexico if the number of migrant arrests exceeds a certain threshold, news agency EFE reported.
The order will allow U.S. authorities to deport people who don’t meet stringent asylum standards beyond the 2,500 people held at the border for an average of seven days, senior U.S. officials told the press.
The order will go into effect on Tuesday as the number of arrests has already exceeded the mark – an average of 4,200 arrests a day in April, according to the latest official data available.
People who are Mexicans or citizens of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela will be returned directly to Mexico under previous U.S. agreements with Mexican authorities.
On the other hand, people who arrive at the border from other parts, both from the American continent and beyond, such as Colombia or Ecuador, will be expelled on deportation flights.
In any case, officials argued that the United States would honor its obligations under the United Nations Convention Against Torture, which prohibits deporting someone to a country where they may be subjected to torture.
According to the document, the border will reopen when the number of illegal crossings per day decreases.
Similarly, it was confirmed that asylum cases will continue to be processed for people who have requested an appointment through the CBP One mobile app, which offers approximately 1,450 appointments per day to file an asylum claim.
The order comes six months before the general election in which Biden aspires to be re-elected to a second term. Migration management has become a central issue for voters, surpassing issues related to the economy and inflation, according to a Gallup survey published at the end of April.
For his part, former president and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump sharply criticized the measure, accusing Biden of creating a “crisis” at the border during his current administration.
Next Tuesday, the tycoon described as an “amnesty” an executive order the Democratic president plans to sign today to limit asylum claims at the border, one of his toughest immigration measures yet.
“Let’s be clear: Joe Biden’s executive order is amnesty, not border security,” Karoline Leavitt, national press secretary for the Trump campaign, said in a statement: EFE noted .
News portals report that the White House plans to announce the proposal at an event attended by mayors of border cities.
While there were a record number of arrests on the Mexican border last year, the numbers have dropped dramatically this year. Last April alone, US authorities reported 128,900 arrests of migrants trying to enter the US illegally. However, in December 2023 it reached almost 250,000. arrests.
But this isn’t the first time Biden has announced measures to control land migration. Last May, his government introduced a series of changes to classify migrants as “ineligible” to apply for asylum for migrants who cross the border illegally and who did not seek third-country protection while traveling to the United States. USA
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Dianelis Hernández is a reporter for ADN America.
