With the proposed Immigration reforms pending that will likely include amnesty for many undocumented immigrants, the southern border is becoming more of a crisis and the number of illegal crossings continues to rise. The monthly number of attempted illegal border crossings increased 28 percent in February, the first full month of the Biden administration. Roughly 10,000 of the migrants making illegal crossings were unaccompanied children, which is a group the administration has struggled to accommodate. Republicans in Congress have been trying to blame the higher numbers at the border on the Biden administration’s policies. GOP leaders in the House and Senate are blaming the rise on the proposed amnesty plan. This could hold some truth, but the rise in immigrants coming to the Southwest border is also due to the dire circumstances in Central American countries. There has been rising Covid rate infections down in South and Central America, as well as a hurricane, continued violence, and mass unemployment. All of these issues are likely playing a role in people’s decision to seek a better life in America.
The House of Representatives will debate two bills aimed at reforming the US immigration system next week. One, the American Dream and Promise Act, would establish a path to citizenship for millions of young illegal immigrants, including those afforded temporary protected status, the “Dreamers.” The other, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, would establish a pathway for illegal migrant farm workers to secure legal status. The White house has conceded recently that they could be doing more to deter illegal immigration, which has surged since Inauguration Day as deportations and arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement have dropped.
