iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
Amidst growing concerns over illegal immigrants risking all to get into the US and close on the heels of an incident at the US-Mexico border where Brijkumar Yadav from Gujarat fell to his death while trying to scale the “Trump Wall” to enter illegally into America, his wife too was injured in the incident, the US government announced new measures to crack down on illegal immigration.
On January 5 the Biden-Harris Administration announced new enforcement measures to increase security at the border and reduce the number of individuals crossing unlawfully between ports of entry. “These measures will expand and expedite legal pathways for an orderly migration and result in new consequences for those who fail to use those legal pathways,” the White House said in a statement.
The US government also has announced its intention to increase the Use of Expedited Removal. “Effective immediately, individuals who attempt to enter the United States without permission, do not have a legal basis to remain, and cannot be expelled pursuant to Title 42 will be increasingly subject to expedited removal to their country of origin and subject to a five-year ban on re-entry.”
Title 42, which came into effect in spring of 2020 in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, allows US border officials to automatically expel undocumented migrants and asylum-seekers seeking entry into America.
Before asking Congress for funding, President Joe Biden said the country’s immigration system is “broken”. From Sunday, January 8, Biden will be on a visit to El Paso, Texas, to assess border enforcement operations.
“The Biden-Harris Administration is surging resources and expanding efforts to securely manage the border, disrupt the criminal smuggling networks preying on vulnerable migrants, and support communities receiving migrants as they await their immigration enforcement proceedings,” the White House stated.
The Biden Administration is marshalling available authorities and resources from across the Federal Government to help ensure the border is secure and well-managed when the Title 42 public health order eventually lifts. DHS and DOJ are surging asylum officers and immigration judges to review asylum cases at the border more quickly – with the aim of reducing initial processing times from months to days.
The two agencies are also expanding capabilities and technologies to support faster processing, including by installing hundreds of phone lines and privacy booths to conduct these interviews and proceedings. DHS is also hiring and deploying additional agents and officers to join the over 23,000 already working to secure the border. In addition, DHS is significantly scaling up its air and ground transportation capabilities to quickly remove migrants when warranted or transport migrants to less-congested border sectors for further immigration enforcement proceedings.
“The Biden-Harris Administration is increasing funding available to border cities and those cities receiving an influx of migrants, in addition to strengthening ongoing coordination and collaboration across all levels of government. DHS is also expanding outreach efforts with local jurisdictions to provide coordination of resources and technical assistance support and the Administration has been facilitating coordination between state and local officials and other federal agencies. Additionally, the Administration will continue to mobilize faith-based and non-profit organizations supporting migrants, including those providing temporary shelter, food, and humanitarian assistance before often reuniting with family as they await the outcome of their immigration proceedings,” said White House stated.
