(Los Angeles) The border between the United States and Mexico will not be “open” next week, despite the announced lifting of a health measure allowing the immediate deportation of migrants, the American Secretary of State insisted on Friday. Homeland security.
“The message is very clear,” insisted Alejandro Mayorkas during a visit to Brownsville, a Texas border town. “The border is not open, it “was not and it will not be after May 11”, the date on which this device must end.
Known as “Title 42”, these regulations allow for the immediate return of migrants without visas, including asylum seekers.
Its expiration has authorities fearing a spike in illegal entries into the United States.
Joe Biden’s Democratic government is the target of fierce criticism from Republicans, who promise real migration “chaos” starting next week.
Mr. Mayorkas insisted on the alternatives introduced to avoid this scenario.
We are providing legal pathways that will allow eligible individuals […] to reach the United States safely. At the same time, we will ensure that those who arrive at our southern border irregularly suffer the consequences of their actions.
Alejandro Mayorkas, US Secretary of Homeland Security
With a view to lifting the device, the Biden administration will mobilize 1,500 additional soldiers on the United States border with Mexico, to support the 2,500 soldiers already assisting the border police.
“Title 42” was reactivated in 2020 by the administration of ex-President Donald Trump, in the name of the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. His successor, Joe Biden, had extended its validity.
With its lifting, “America is under siege,” Republican Senator Lindsey Graham assured Wednesday.
This tenor of the American right says he expects 900,000 to 1.1 million migrants to cross the border in “the 90 days following” the end of the system.
According to the US Border Patrol (CBP), 192,000 arrests of migrants took place at the southern border in March. A figure that does not reflect the number of people trying to cross it: a migrant can be confronted several times with the police during different attempts.