Biden Administration Wants Billions More to Fund Migrants in Their Home Countries

Multiple concerns surrounding the renewed immigration policy on the U.S.-Mexico border surfaced when President Joe Biden's administration started.

As part of their efforts in welcoming asylum seekers from Latin American countries, the Biden administration is asking for more funds from Congress for humanitarian aid and in dealing with the border crisis.

In a press briefing, former United States Ambassador to Mexico Roberta Jacobson, who was tapped to oversee U.S. policy on migration and asylum, said they are ensuring that the funds they are receiving will go to the hands of people who are most in need.

Immigration Fund

It can be recalled that Congress included almost $1.5 billion in border wall funding for the fiscal year 2021. But Biden recently stopped the construction of the massive wall between the U.S. and Mexico.

When asked if the $1.5 billion would be reappropriated, Jacobson said she has no idea what would happen to the funds that will not be used as intended, Post Millennial reported.

However, Jacobson said she was certain about the president's call of "ending the national emergency to the emergency at the border that was used to justify the wall."

In the same press briefing, Jacobson noted that the Biden administration is seeking $4 billion in aid for Central America over four years. If approved by Congress, Jacobson said the funds would not go to government leaders but to communities and international groups to address violence, economic opportunity, climate change, and inequality.

When asked how they would deal and make sure that the funding will not go into the hands of corrupt politicians, Jacobson noted that they would do the "end-use monitoring."

"Our embassies and people that we work with are looked at before they're recipients of funds, and we do checks, and we look at what's being done with the funds," she explained.

Jacobson also said that in most cases, they do not give money but rather deliver training or lighting facilities that can reduce crime and violence.

Jacobson further noted that the $4 billion would also be a part of the overall foreign assistance package, focusing on the humanitarian assistance to the countries that were victims of hurricanes Eta and Iota. She added that the funding would also be used domestically to fix the immigration process.

Drawbacks of the Biden Administration's Immigration Plan

Mexican officials raised their concerns regarding the immigration stance of the Biden administration. According to Washington Examiner, Mexican officials in internal assessments have expressed worry that the Biden administration's immigration plan would incentivize gang activity and human smuggling.

Internal assessments noted that the policy changes from within Mexico promote migration to the U.S. with organized crime recruiting personnel and expanding its reach in response to the new immigration plan.

It can be remembered that Biden mandated the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to focus more on crimes that can be considered a threat to national security.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador earlier said that many migrants see Biden as the "migrant president." Thus many feel they are going to reach the U.S. Lopez Obrador added that they need to work together in regulating the flow of migrants.

Meanwhile, Jacobson said the immigration funding that the Biden administration is working out would make a big difference in the home countries of the migrants.

WATCH: Biden Immigration Czar Roberta Jacobson Warns 'The Border Is Not Open' - From Bloomberg Quicktake: Now