OnPolitics: Don’t call it a border crisis
People surround a car as it arrives carrying food donations at a makeshift camp for migrants seeking asylum in the United States at the border crossing Friday, March 12, 2021, in Tijuana, Mexico. The Biden administration hopes to relieve the strain of thousands of unaccompanied children coming to the southern border by terminating a 2018 Trump-era order that discouraged potential family sponsors from coming forward to house the children. (Photo: Gregory Bull, AP)
Happy Monday, OnPolitics friends!
Last week, I talked about the situation going on at the U.S.-Mexican border, where an increasing number of migrant children seeking asylum are detained. While President Joe Biden has warned migrants not to come to the U.S., the migrant issue isn’t going away quietly.
It’s Mabinty, let’s get to the news.
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The c-word
Lawmakers such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has previously labeled the border situation a “humanitarian crisis.” Across the aisle, Republican lawmakers have called the situation “Biden’s border crisis.”
But White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Monday refused to call it that. “Children, presenting at our border, who are fleeing violence, who are fleeing prosecution, who are fleeing terrible situations, is not a crisis,” Psaki said.
Biden’s border czar, Roberta Jacobson, is heading to Mexico on Monday to meet with officials about the influx of migrants coming to the U.S.-Mexico border seeking asylum.
An interesting fact related to immigration: After years of sharp drawdowns in the number of immigrants allowed pathways to legal status in the U.S., Biden is projected to greatly expand the number of immigrants allowed in the country, an analysis by Pew Research Center finds.
- En Español: ¿Qué está pasando en la frontera con México? Miles de niños migrantes están tratando de entrar a EEUU, reviviendo una pelea en Washington
When one door closes, another one opens up …
Lawmakers have begun lobbying Biden for a clear timetable and reopening guidelines on both the U.S.-Canada and U.S.-Mexico borders.
“I don’t think there has been constructive, serious engagement. This could be done successfully and quickly but it requires a strong will,” Rep. Brian Higgins, D-N.Y., told USA TODAY White House reporter Matt Brown.
“The U.S.-Canadian relationship, generally speaking, took a major hit over the last four years, and in particular over the last twelve months, for no other reason than the silly personal politics between President Trump and Prime Minister Trudeau,” Higgins said of why negotiations to give certain populations easier cross border travel had not progressed under the Trump administration.
What else is going on?
- Donald Trump endorses rival to Georgia Republican elections official Brad Raffensperger
- Saudi Arabia proposes Yemen ceasefire after Biden administration ends support
- South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem won’t sign transgender sports bill, cites ‘vague and overly broad language’
Spring is here. Go get some ice cream! —Mabinty
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