Biden announces sweeping order to curb illegal migration

1. How did the number of migrants crossings reach a record high?

   

   Bernd Debusmann Jr

   Reporting from Washington

   I’ve been following the US-Mexico border for years and through multiple administrations, and while some aspects of it have remained constant, there has been a noticeable shift during the Biden administration.

   More than 6.4 million migrants have been detained crossing into the US illegally under Biden, a higher number than under Trump, Obama or George W Bush. There has been a significant decline in crossings in recent months, that is likely only temporary.

   The reasons for the Biden-era spike are complex, with some factors pre-dating this government and beyond the control of the US. Experts point to three top reasons.

   1. There was pent-up demand after lockdown, because restrictions during the pandemic led to a drastic reduction in people crossing
   2. People are displaced more than ever before."We are experiencing displacement around the world at a level never seen in recorded history," explains Jorge Loweree, from the American Immigration Council.
   3. The president changed. A key message from Trump, even if it never became a reality, was that the US was cracking down at its border. This sent a message to migrants wanting to cross, say experts, but under Biden there was a change of tone and of policy.

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2. Record immigration numbers are a serious political problem for Biden

   

   The immigration issue is a growing threat to US President Joe Biden's re-election hopes.

   Along with the economy, it is a dominant concern for voters in most polls – and the vast majority disapproves of Biden’s handing of it.

   Driven by growing conflict or instability in their home countries and drawn by the post-pandemic jobs gap in the US, immigrants have crossed the southern border at unprecedented numbers over the last three years.

   Those numbers began to rise in 2018, as Central Americans fled a series of complex crises, and then fell drastically in 2020 thanks to pandemic-era restrictions. They began climbing again starting in 2021.

   More than 6.4 million migrants have been detained while crossing into the US illegally during the Biden administration. Many of them are released into the United States to await processing, which sometimes takes years.

   In 2023 US Custom and Border Protection (CBP) recorded a record high of nearly 2.5 million "encounters" at the southern border - with 302,000 of them in December alone.

   Since then, migrant arrivals have plummeted, with recently released CBP statistics showing there were only about 179,000 migrant "encounters" recorded in April.

   Experts warn, however, that this slower rate is not sustainable.

3. Biden announces immigration action

   Caitlin Wilson

   US reporter

   Hello, and welcome to our coverage of US President Joe Biden’s announcement of executive action aimed at curbing illegal migration, which has hit record numbers in recent years.

   The new policy will limit the amount of people able to enter the US, and request asylum.

   Immigration is a flashpoint topic ahead of November’s presidential election, with both Democrats and Republicans seeking to score political points on the issue.

   “These actions will be in effect when high levels of encounters at the Southern Border exceed our ability to deliver timely consequences, as is the case today,” the White House said in its announcement statement.

   It also clarified, “these actions are not permanent”.

   The new policy will be “discontinued when the number of migrants who cross the border between ports of entry is low enough for America’s system to safely and effectively manage border operations,” the White House said.

   Stay with us as we bring you all the information you need to understand this development and the state of immigration in the US.