Ever since Joe Biden became the president, the immigration policy has been expected to loosen up. As a result, thousands of people are encouraged to start the immigration journey regardless of the documentation. Undocumented immigrants from Mexico soared in the United States through the border. President Biden's lenient immigration policy wordlessly invites hundreds and thousands of migrants to the U.S. border, which led to a new national problem and many solutions. However, the problem cannot be solved until the living standard of these countries have improved.
In Mach 2021, the Biden administration encountered over 170,000 migrants from Mexico, which is 70 percent increase as of February and the highest monthly total in 17 years(Habib, 2021). Among the 170,000 migrants, 87,000 are unaccompanied minors, ranging from 5 years old to teenagers; these children left their parents and country behind to pursue a better life. However, very few of these children received the treatment from the U.S. officials they expected.
The best result is when the minors manage to cross the border, they may submit their case for investigation and if they are lucky enough, they would be able to stay in the U.S. and eventually find a job. However, most of the minors are sent back to their country, some back to Mexico, most back to Central America. Some of those who are at the shelter anxiously waiting for being sent back join the criminal network, which would then lead them to a road that's completely opposite to their dream.
"Both girls said they had seen a parent struggle to put food on the table before making the tough decision to migrate to the United States. And both felt that their failure to cross had upturned the tremendous expectations that had been placed on them: to reunite with a lonely parent, to work and to send money to family members left behind" (Habib, 2021).
The stories you hear about families and children at the border are extremely depressing and I am glad you took the time to write about them. The pictures that have surfaced and the conditions that many are in, are unacceptable and need to be dealt with as soon as possible by the administration. Its really questionable and worrisome that reporters are not allowed inside the shelters to document exactly what the living conditions are now. Hopefully in the near future these issues are solved. Thanks for the great post.
The situation with DACA is one of the most tragic and urgent issues we need to address. I went to a high school in Southern California and had many peers, friends at that school, and my girlfriend now who are DACA recipients. They had to go through their whole childhood, and adulthood without the security of being considered a permanent resident of the country they have lived in the majority of their lives, to no fault of their own. Of all the immigration issues this is one that needs to address most swiftly in my opinion, DACA recipients pay taxes, work jobs, and contribute to America as much as any other group, for recipients that have been here for multiple…
It is a very unfortunate and unstable situation being faced by those who need to immigrate to the US, especially children. Closing off the borders and accusing people, who are desperate for help, of criminal activity has only aggravated the situation further. Hopefully, the legislation promised by the Biden administration will be enacted soon to bring much needed relief to these migrants. From what I've read the new administration has been sluggish in approaching this topic which is understanding given the pandemic, but hopefully action will be taken soon.
Junru, the border situation is definitely a chaotic problem that needs to be addressed quickly. Having thousands of minors living under tinfoil blankets amidst the spread of Covid is a scary scenario that reflects the lack of preparation. Worse, they won't even let reporters into these facilities to document what's going on. I think it was pretty clear from president biden's campaign promises to not be like Trump when it came to the border that we were going to see an influx of people trying to cross our borders. We can only hope the Biden administration takes the necessary steps to quell the issue
Junru, this is a really important issue and I think the Biden Administration is working hard to address it as we speak. The federal government asked local governments like San Diego and Long Beach if they could open their convention centers to house migrant children who have nowhere to go because of the influx in people trying to cross the border. Both cities agreed to house the migrant children and are giving them shelter for a few weeks... but what happens after that? I've done a lot of research on crossing the border, and as a Spanish and journalism major this is something I'm passionate about reporting on in the future. That being said, it's hard to ensure a way…