White House says majority of migrants would be sent back as pandemic continues

The United States will turn away most migrants apprehended at its border with Mexico under a Trump-era policy, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on February 10 adding that the move would limit the spread of COVID pandemic and also give the new administration ample time to implement new migration policies. While newly minted President Joe Biden had vowed to undo Trump’s draconian border rules, he has still in place a provision called Title 42, which allows Americans authorities to rapidly expel people crossing the US-Mexico borders.

Psaki said that the decision was made keeping in mind the pandemic and the fact that authorities haven’t had the time to put in place “a humane, comprehensive process for processing individuals who are coming to the border” “The vast majority of people will be turned away,” she added.

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Every year, thousands of people from Mexico try to enter the US. According to official records, the US border patrol officials recorded over 78,000 migrants attempting to cross the country’s southern border in January. In the same month, officials in Texas released hundreds of thousands of Mexicans, who were detained illegally crossing the border, amid fears of overcrowding the Border Patrol facilities amidst a pandemic.

Biden to mitigate the crisis

Soon after taking office, Biden vowed to mitigate the harshness meted out to migrants and asylum seekers from Central America. Last month, the American leader talked to his Mexican counterpart where he promised to establish a more humanitarian migration system and undo Trump’s moves including his ambitious Border Wall. However, experts have warned that if not managed properly, softening of immigration rules could lead to an influx of migrants in the US sabotaging Biden’s latest decision.

Last week, Biden ordered a major review of asylum processing at the US-Mexico border and legal immigration system as he seeks to undo former President Donald Trump’s policies. While speaking to media reporters on a conference call, two senior administration officials said that the newly minted President will create a task force to reunite migrant families who were separated at the US-Mexico border by Trump’s 2018 “zero-tolerance” border strategy. 

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