Migrants continue to stream across the US southern border by the hundreds, despite the Biden administration’s latest “crackdown.”
Video captured by The Washington Post on Thursday showed hundreds of migrants, mostly from China and Turkey, crossing the border unimpeded in California before being apprehended by Border Patrol agents.
Another video obtained by The Washington Post from rural Texas on Wednesday showed dozens of Central and South American migrants entering private property in Normandy, Texas, and being tackled by state police.
Migrants crossing the border appear undeterred by President Biden’s executive order to halt the processing of asylum claims after 2,500 migrants were arrested for illegally entering the U.S. for the seventh consecutive day, a deterrent measure meant to stop people from crossing the border illegally.
The order, which took effect Wednesday, will only lift border restrictions if the number of people crossing the border reaches an average of 1,500 for seven consecutive days.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the order was aimed at “deterring illegal immigration.”
But the Border Patrol apprehended 4,000 illegal immigrants at the southern border on Thursday alone, and detained 10,000 people that day, official sources told The Post.
The Border Patrol processing center in San Diego, the biggest area for illegal crossings, reached 237% of capacity on Thursday, holding roughly 2,300 migrants in a facility designed to hold 1,000, according to internal data.
A border patrol official recently told The Post that he expects mass releases of illegal immigrants into the United States to continue.
One reason some migrants are being released is because some countries, such as China, do not accept regular deportation flights from the United States and are slow to issue travel documents to those facing deportation.
“It’s questionable whether this executive order will have much of an effect. It appears Mexico only intends to accept immigrants from a handful of countries.”
“The rest are processed and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), but if there are no detention centers or flights available, they’re just released, which is what’s causing this mess in the first place,” the source said.
“People will know exactly what to do and say to exploit the system. I don’t blame them. I blame the system that allows it to happen. Don’t hate the players, hate the game.”
The presidential order states that refugee applications will be suspended, NBC reported that migrants will continue to be screened. “However, they will be screened by refugee status determination officers under higher standards than is currently the case.”
What to know about the Biden administration’s border “crackdown”:
- President Biden announced an executive order to close the U.S.-Mexico border if the number of illegal border crossings exceeds 2,500 for seven consecutive days.
- The order prevents migrants from applying for asylum during the closure, but the restrictions will be lifted if an average of 1,500 migrants cross the border per day for seven consecutive days.
If migrants exceed that threshold, they will be allowed into the US to seek “other forms of humanitarian protection,” the outlet said.
There are still various methods available for entering the U.S., including using the CBPOne app and various parole programs.
In January, President Biden said he had “done everything we could” and called on Congress to pass a border bill.
“Just give me the power. That’s what I’ve been asking for since the day I took office,” he said at the time. “Give me the Border Patrol, give me the people, give me the judges. Give me the people who can stop this and make it work.”
Biden’s latest executive order comes just months before the November election and with polls consistently showing American voters are growing increasingly concerned about illegal immigration.
