While the validity of the anti-immigrant Law SB4 promoted by Texas in an Appeals Court remains suspended, the flow of people of Mexican origin to the United States is persistent. The Office of Customs and Border Protection reports that, in 2020, the first year of the pandemic and taking into account the paralysis of economic activities, the number of arrests of compatriots was 297 thousand, in 2022 it jumped to 808 thousand and so far this year it already registers 320 thousand.
Requesting asylum is the most popular alternative for Latin American migrants. After Title 42 ended in May, through which the US government expelled recently arrived undocumented people for health reasons, interest in reaching the southern border of that country to surrender to the authorities and begin a long and tortuous process skyrocketed. before an immigration judge.
For at least a decade, the profile of those who move began to change; In the case of Mexico, adults traveling alone lead the departures to the north, but those traveling as a family are increasing, followed by unaccompanied minors. In shelters along the border, entire families fleeing criminal violence in their places of origin are waiting to cross the border, not to improve their quality of life but to save it. When analyzing their cases, the problem for the North American immigration authorities arises when they verify that a good part of the testimonies through the resource called “credible fear” are not truthful and the deportation continues.
One year after the launch of the CBP One mobile application with which the US government seeks to speed up immigration processes at the southern border, only 450,000 asylum seekers of different nationalities have been admitted to hold hearings and interviews with agents. migratory; Although it is an important figure, it is far from the 7.7 million people detained by the border patrol between 2021 and so far this year.
The immigration agenda and the economy will be the themes of the presidential campaign in the United States and Greg Abbott guides the Republican strategy. He was elected governor of Texas in November 2014 and was ratified for a third term in 2022. His administration, supported by his constituents for a decade, has been aimed at promoting initiatives to seal the border with Mexico and defending in court local laws aimed at combat immigration, measures all of them endorsed by the virtual Republican candidate Donald Trump and his followers.
The crisis at the border is far from resolved. A bipartisan Senate initiative proposing an increase in resources and assets for the Border Patrol failed in January over Trump’s suggestion that he rejects any agreement with Democrats. On the other hand, hate speech, discrimination and xenophobia is growing in broad sectors of American society, which agitates the Trumpist discourse.
It will be necessary to see if the delivery of government funds can discourage undocumented migration. Mexico announced support of $110 per month to Venezuelans who are about to return to their country. To seriously address the arrival and departure of migrants, perhaps more than that is needed.
@ClauCorichi