2023-09-23 00:55:18
The small border town of Eagle Pass in Texas declared itself in a state of emergency as tens of thousands of migrants cross the border. At the same time, Joe Biden’s government grants protection to almost half a million Venezuelans in the US, giving them the opportunity to work.
This comes after some Democratic mayors and governors warned that the growing number of migrants in their care is upending their budgets.
The various scenarios that take place throughout the country give an image of a migration system that is on the limit and whose impact goes far beyond the border with Mexico. This week the White House announced measures aimed at mitigating the problems.
The United States has already had surges in immigration, what is different now and why?
Part of the problem is that many more people are arriving. Numbers fell as summer began in the northern hemisphere after a Covid-related immigration rule ended and stricter measures came into force. But The numbers are increasing again.
Migrants recently arrived in Texas, before the immigration authorities in the town of Eagle Pass. Photo: AP
This Wednesday, the city of Eagle Pass announced a state of emergency after In two days almost 6,000 migrants crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico in the direction of the city of about 28,000 inhabitants. In fiscal year 2022, the Border Patrol encountered 2.2 million people who crossed the border illegally.
Eloquent figures
It is necessary to go back decades to find comparable figures. From 1990 to 2006, migrant encounters with the Border Patrol almost always exceeded one million a year, peaking at 1.6 million in 2000.
Then the numbers began to decrease. From 2010 to 2020, the agency recorded fewer than half a million annual encounters, except in 2019, when they increased to 859,501.
Of course, statistics do not always represent a perfect measurement. Figures from the 1990s and 2000s are considered grossly underestimated because migrants often evaded authorities when entering the U.S. Today, migrants often turn themselves in to seek asylum.
The number of migrants trying to enter the United States has grown again in recent weeks. Photo: AP
In recent years, measures used to contain the pandemic skewed the count. The government largely relied on a public health tool called Title 42 to quickly expel migrants from the country. But there were no sanctions, so according to experts the migrants returned again and again, which increased the statistics.
The Biden administration announced that it would grant Temporary Protected Status to approximately 472,000 Venezuelans who arrived in the country through July 31. That makes it easier for them to work here. Venezuelans make up such a large proportion of the migrants arriving in the country that changing their status has an enormous effect. In New York City, about 40% of the roughly 60,000 asylum seekers — whose housing is funded by the city — are from Venezuela.
Julia Gelatt of the Migration Policy Institute points out another angle. She maintains that in the late ’90s and early 2000s there were more single adults coming to the US.
Now more and more families are arriving with small children, and they have different needs. A single adult can be accommodated, but a family seeks government services to protect their children who also need to go to school.
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