Joe Biden Begins Deportations Along US-Mexico Border; Migrants Rattled and Unsure
President Joe Biden's new border measures have begun to take effect as the deportations have now begun under the new rule, leaving many migrants unsure of their future and whether or not they would still be able to enter the country.
Those migrants who missed the deadline are now subject to the new deportation rule and there is already a sense of uncertainty among them, with senior Homeland Security Department officials confirming that the first deportations under the new rule took place Wednesday.
Despite the strict new rule, many migrants are still trying to push their luck, with young Ecuadorian father Sergio Franco telling the Associated Press that he was "confident that he would prevail in his plea to find a safe haven" in the US as he has evidence of his flight. The young father came with his 2-month-old daughter to the US-Mexico border, surviving a nearly 2-month journey that involved going through the treacherous Darien Gap.
Asylum remains suspended along the US-Mexico border, as average daily arrests must fall below 1,500 for a week straight before it can be implemented again. However, migrants who expressed fear for their safety if they were deported would still be screened by asylum officers. This would be done under higher standards though, and if they pass, they can remain in the US and continue to pursue other forms of humanitarian protection.
It is still unsure if these measures would be able to stop large-scale migrant entries, but Mexico has revealed that it has agreed with the US to deport migrants who are not Mexican. This is, however, only limited numbers and nationalities. The deportations do not include Ecuador, which has a diplomatic row with Mexico, as well as faraway places like India.
Joe Biden's Executive Order for the US-Mexico Border Was Months in the Making
The Biden border order took effect after the number of border encounters between ports of entry hits 2,500 per day. Because the threshold was reached immediately after the deadline, it immediately took effect and CBP began deporting migrants.
READ MORE: Joe Biden Announces Executive Order on the US-Mexico Border, Set Border Restrictions
However, the executive order took so long as Biden was banking on the bipartisan border deal to pass. The deal was embraced by both Republicans and Democrats but was killed after Donald Trump pressured Republican lawmakers to kill it because it would flip their narrative that Biden was doing nothing in the southern border.
"Republicans have left me no choice," said the president, adding that he was acting on his own to "gain control of the border" while also insisting that "I believe immigration has always been the lifeblood of America."
"Donald Trump told the Republicans ... that he didn't want to fix the issue, he wanted to use it to attack me," he added. "It was a cynical, extremely cynical, political move and a complete disservice to the American people who are looking for us not to weaponize the border but to fix it."
Joe Biden Allies Not Happy With His US-Mexico Border Measures and Migrant Deportations
Biden made the executive order to appease voters who lean more to the right but are not exactly happy with Donald Trump. While this was made to satisfy them, it only angered his actual allies, with progressives expressing their anger at the new border measure.
"It is my hope that Biden goes back to the campaign promises that he made four years ago - that we will see policies that embrace immigrants and address some of the systemic problems that we have, including a lack of legal pathways and opportunity for more immigrants," Kica Matos, president of the National Immigration Law Center, said in a statement. "So I'm not giving up hope. I fully anticipate that this administration in the coming months will come out with some pro-immigration policies."
Meanwhile, Congress Democrats are slamming Biden and have vowed to make sure that his executive order would be humane, with Washington Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal telling reporters, "The one silver lining is that [Biden] did say that there will be positive actions to make the system more humane and fair. And we will be looking and pushing for those actions in coming weeks."
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Rick Martin
WATCH: First deportations begin under Biden's new immigration order - CBS News
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