As the number of individuals believed to be illegally crossing the US-Mexico border surged to an average of over 2,500 per week, President Joe Biden took the controversial step of temporarily closing the border to most asylum requests, causing discontent on the part of human rights defenders and many high-ranking members of the Democratic Party, according to The Guardian.
The order issued by the President, as reported by the Department of Justice and Homeland Security, has marked his most stringent immigration policy to date. Despite, combined with the co-operation of Mexican authorities in preventing individuals from even reaching the border, this has had a significant impact on the numbers: in June, border detentions of migrants reached a three-year low, continuing a trend of decline. Biden’s actions appear to be a response to Donald Trump, who is vocally opposed to illegal immigration. Yet, despite this decision, rights advocates and some leading Democrats are left wondering: at what cost?
Members of Congress have sent a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas and US Attorney General Merrick Garland, urging an end to what they describe as Biden’s border repression. They argue that Biden’s decision fails to tackle the underlying issues and only worsens conditions at the border, raising concerns about Washington’s commitment to international treaty obligations. The letter highlights that Biden’s directive mirrors a previous ban on asylum introduced by the Trump administration, which undermines the legal protections for individuals fleeing violence and persecution.
Among the signatories are several prominent members of the House of Representatives: Joaquin Castro, Veronica Escobar, Sylvia Garcia and Greg Casar of Texas, Raúl Grijalva of Arizona and Juan Vargas, Robert Garcia, J Luis (Lou) Correa and Nanette Barragán of California – as well as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib and Cori Bush of the Squad and Pramila Jayapal, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
In addition to the letter, numerous migrant rights organisations have submitted a memorandum in a federal case, with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) suing the government on behalf of the Centre for Immigrant Protection in Las Americas and the Refugee and Immigrant Centre for Education and Legal Services (RAICES).
The statement emphasises Biden’s decision is erroneous, as individuals seeking asylum were exercising their rights under both domestic and international law, yet they faced indifference from American immigration officers, who either denied their requests or claimed they would face deportation. Others “have reported being unable to express their fear because officers forbade them from speaking, reprimanded them, intimidated them, or told them there was no asylum anymore.”
Moreover, the statement underscored that the border guards subjected the migrants to verbal abuse, stating that they were not entitled to an interview or completely disregarding their attempts at communication, instead referring the migrants to official interviews with asylum experts or immigration judges.
Despite, the United States government makes it clear: “Those ordered removed will face at least a five-year ban on reentry and possible criminal prosecution.”
Individuals have been making trips to and from Kino for several months, trying in vain to secure an official meeting with US authorities to request asylum via a mobile app called CBP One, according to Pedro de Velasco, director of the Kino Border Initiative. On the wall of the shelter hangs a poster designed to discourage people from taking to the wilderness as a last-ditch effort to enter the US while avoiding authorities. One of the posters states: “Many people have died crossing. There’s not enough water. Many people have gotten lost in the vast desert.”
Unfortunately, fatalities are all too common. Between January and July this year in Pima County, which primarily encompasses the Arizona-Mexico border and is responsible for recovering most of the human remains when migrants do not succeed, the remains of 95 such travellers discovered. More than a third died from heat exposure, while others succumbed to drowning, diabetic coma, or undetermined causes.
