President Biden Push Policies Fueling Desperate Migration On US Borders
A new article examines President Biden's latest moves and policies regarding immigrants flocking to its southern border - and whether it boosts or actually slows down immigration.
Aviva Chomsky is a history professor and coordinator of Latin American studies at Massachusetts' Salem State University. She is also a contributor to TomDispatch, an online publication. Her latest piece, "Will Biden's Central America Plan Slow Immigration -- Or Speed it up?" appearing on the online news portal Salon.com.
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A Delicate Balancing Act
Hopeful Americans watched as Joe Biden ascended into the presidency, watching his every move, including his contradicting positions on immigration and the US' Central American neighbors. He has promised, through the "Biden Plan to Build Security and Prosperity in Partnership with the People of Central America," to reverse the "draconian anti-immigrant policies" put into place by his predecessor Donald Trump.
Avira Chomsky notes that the content of the Biden Plan "highlights a version of security and prosperity in that region that's more Cold War-like than CISPES-like," referring to the grassroots organization Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES). Additionally, she argues that Biden's immigration platform promotes an old economic development model that leaned towards the benefit of US corporations. Chomsky writes that the Biden Plan "aims to impose a distinctly militarized version of "security" on the people of that region" and to enlist Central American governments and their militaries to limit migration through repression.
One of the most significant acts the Biden has taken to reverse the Trump administration's anti-immigrant policies is the "US Citizenship Act of 2021," which was sent to Congress earlier this year. It effectively does away with racist exclusions, restoring asylum rights, and opening an avenue for legal citizenship among the immigrant population.
However, a portion of this proposal stands on the idea that addressing Central America's problems would lead to fewer immigrants moving toward the US border. The Biden Plan stated its intent to promote "the rule of law, security, and economic development in Central America." Chomsky notes that within the words of the proposal are the same old bipartisan goals familiar to those who have watched them over the years.
The Devil in the Details
Summarizing the Biden Plan, Aviva Chomsky points out its essence: pouring millions of dollars of financial "aid" to the Central American nations intended for upgrading its police and military capabilities that serve an economic model based on profit exportation and protecting private investment - with priorities toward the privileges of foreign investors. According to the history professor, Washington has imposed the very same model on Central American countries in the last 100 years or so, leaving its southern neighbors "corrupt, violent, and impoverished," continuing to uproot its citizens that lead to increased immigration towards the US.
An important component of the Biden plan, which Chomsky also notes in similarity to those that came before it, is to "coerce" Guatemala and Mexico to become proxies for the wall in its southern borders.
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