Migrants waiting to cross the southern border into the United States fear they won’t be allowed into the country if former President Donald Trump regains control of the White House, and Biden in November He has stated that he wants the president to be re-elected.
“If it’s Trump, it doesn’t matter how much I work or want to work. They won’t let me in,” said pipefitter Richard Betancourt, 46. told the free press He and hundreds of others were waiting to cross the border at a makeshift encampment in Matamoros, Mexico.
Alejandra Falcon, 26, who has spent the past eight months traveling from Caracas, Venezuela, to the border, also said she can’t imagine what would happen if Biden “doesn’t win.”
During President Trump’s first term, he tried to tackle immigration by reducing the number of refugees getting green cards and visas, and tried to build a border wall, but ultimately outpaced his predecessor, former President Barack. Fewer illegal immigrants were deported. Obama pointed out to the Free Press.
But as soon as he was voted out of office, illegal border crossings skyrocketed, reaching an all-time high of 2.2 million in 2022. The Washington Post reported.
Since Biden took office in 2021, nearly 7.3 million immigrants have now illegally crossed the southwest border into the United States, more than the population of 36 states. According to Fox News.
When the president first took office, he vowed to repeal Title 42, which allows immigrants to be turned away at the border.
They now only have to argue that they have a “credible fear” of returning to their home countries and entering the United States, and they will be given a ticket to appear in court.
But immigrants can remain in the U.S. for years before being tried in court and may travel across the country, making it difficult for immigration authorities to track them, Free Press said. is reporting.
On the campaign trail, President Trump has denounced what Biden has called “bloodshed at the border,” as migrants continue to commit serious crimes in major cities.
His efforts appear to be paying off, with nearly seven in 10 voters saying they disapprove of Biden’s handling of the border issue. in an AP-NORC poll in March.
Polls also show that more voters express concern about the number of immigrants committing crimes in the United States.
In an apparent effort to win back voters, Biden vowed in January to “close the border until we get it back under control.”
At the time, he was trying to get Republicans to support a bipartisan Senate supplemental spending bill that included money for border security.
However, the bill died in the Senate, with Democrats accusing Republicans of wanting to save the border issue for the November election.
Now, Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez claimed: washington post “The president is not talking about closing borders” and “is not advocating closing borders.”
The newspaper has reached out to the Biden administration for comment.
