US President Joe Biden is dealing with a border issue. In the United States, both total unaccompanied children (UACs) and very young UACs children as young as six or seven years old are on the rise. The current border issues have both immediate and long-term causes.
After facing backlash from agitated Democrats, Joe Biden has reversed his decision to maintain a Donald Trump-era annual cap on refugees admitted to the United States. The president announced that the number of refugees allowed into the country each year will increase from 15,000 to 62,500. Therefore, arguing that his predecessor’s historically low number did not reflect America’s values.
Biden also promised to try to raise the figure to 125,000. This prompted Republicans to accuse him of “caving in to the needs of liberal activists.”
Surge at the border
Biden’s few months in the White House have been marked by a number of domestic achievements. It ranged from a quick vaccine rollout to an increase in spending of around 15% of GDP.Â
On the other hand, Biden has had less success in addressing the long-standing problem of the US-Mexico border. A massive migrant influx fueled in part by his promise of a more humane migration policy. Hence, it is fueling a humanitarian and political crisis.Â
According to official figures released by Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the agency had 400,000 encounters with illegal migrants along the border between October and February, the highest number since 2006.
The US government was housing approximately 15,500 unaccompanied migrant minors in late March 2021. It included 5,000 teenagers and children trapped in border patrol facilities. Though, not primarily for long custody.
Biden’s handling of the situation is causing concern among US voters. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which is controlled by Democrats, “quickly welcomed” the decision to raise the refugee cap.
Republican Senator Tom Cotton tweeted, “Increasing the refugee admissions cap will jeopardize American jobs and security.” The Biden administration should concentrate on re-engaging Americans in the labor market.
This is an ongoing border issue
Biden is well aware of the challenges that his country’s highly permeable southern border with Mexico presents.
Biden stated that it was important to take this action. As this will remove any persisting doubt in the minds of refugees around the world who have struggled so much. Also, others who are waiting anxiously for their new lives to begin. “We’re working hard to repair the damage that’s been done over the last four years. It will take some time, but work on it has already begun,” he added.
Biden’s “flip-flopping” over exact figures came amid “worry over bad judgement” following the migrant surge. But it drew “the ire of refugee advocates and some Democratic lawmakers,” after pledging to consign Trump’s border policy to history.
Progressive Democrats on his left are pushing for policies. They are out of step with broader American opinion and championing impractical demands like ending all deportations. However, Biden’s legislative agenda will only be realized if he avoids a confrontation with progressives, whose support he desperately needs.
According to the New York Times, the president’s critics have seized on the issue as a political weapon. It accused Biden of “making poor political choices that opened the floodgates to illegal immigration during a pandemic.”
Conclusion
The White House held a call with refugee organizations in an effort to “repair frayed relations” amid ongoing anger over the administration’s previous silence.
However, as a seasoned politician, Biden will be aware that he cannot afford to sever ties with the voters who can help him keep control of Congress in the crucial election in the coming year.
