The clock is ticking on the border
Everybody knows that there is lots of chaos coming. In a few weeks, Title 42 expires, and the Biden administration does not have a clue. Maybe they are keeping their strategy rather quiet. This is from Todd Bensman:
I predict big trouble is on the way to the southern border, from which I've just returned.
In Juarez, thousands of immigrants are living in abandoned buildings, sleeping on the streets, and many hundreds more a day show up on freight trains.
A human tidal wave is building all over Mexico and farther south.
Biden administration officials claim they have a plan. Don't believe them.
When Title 42 was in place, Trump and Biden, the latter to a far lesser degree, could quickly expel border jumpers back into Mexico or beyond and — critically — deny them access to the US asylum system. Cutting off access to this system was a serious deterrent; immigrants stayed home when Trump held Title 42 but came in historic droves when Biden opened a wide aperture of exemptions from it.
Get ready for a very long caravan of people who have been waiting for their turn.
At this point, I am not sure what can stop the flow of people. Mexico does not really want them and will be happy to get them off its hands. Mexico is still trying to figure out who is responsible for the fire that killed 38 people waiting to come north. In fact, many in Mexico feel that the U.S. has turned their country into "deputy gatekeeper and migrant antagonist." As I hear, Mexico can't wait to unlock the gate and send them wherever they want to go — i.e., the U.S.
Is it too late to reimplement "Remain in Mexico"? Yes, because the people are already on the border. The reason that "Remain" worked is that it discouraged people from walking to Mexico. Why? Because they would rather wait in their own country. For example, I have spoken to many Venezuelans who were living and working in Chile or Argentina. They came because they were told that the door was open. They would not have come if they knew that waiting in Juárez was part of the deal.
Once again, the Biden administration will blame Trump, but this is on them. They did it, just like how they've done so many other awful things.
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Image: Library of Congress.