The United States Law enforcement agencies detained almost 100,000 migrants at the US-Mexico border in February, the highest monthly total since the major border surge in mid-2019.
The unprecedented influx of migrants is one of the biggest challenges the Biden Administration is facing. The number of migrants approaching the US from Mexico has increased by a staggering 28% within a month.
The situation is alarming. It is important to note that almost 9500 of these migrants are unaccompanied minors. This number has also exceeded the anticipated number of 6000 since June 2019. In 2020, the number of unaccompanied children found at the border topped 3000.
During his election campaign, President Joe Biden had promised to address the immigration issue along with demolishing the so-called border wall that was built by the Trump Administration. The Trump Administration received harsh criticism for handling the border security issue throughout the four-year tenure.
President Biden had pledged to introduce more compassionate and humane policies for the immigrants. As soon as he became the president, he devised policies to address the immigration issue. However, the alarming rate of child immigrants in custody at the HHS shelters has raised concerns. DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has claimed that the unprecedented surge has affected them to the core.
According to the reports, more than 19,000 migrants were encountered by border agents in just the first week of March. The peak migration season starts from May when a sudden surge in the number of migrants is observed. This year, the number of migrants had crossed that average number in February.
As many as 72,000 migrants were expelled from the United States because of coronavirus-related public health orders.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has addressed this issue but refused to call it a crisis. She claimed that the situation is challenging, and the US government is exploring the legal pathways to facilitate migrants entering the country. In this regard, the government is mulling to reopen the Central American Minors Program. This program will allow unaccompanied children to enter the U.S. legally.
