What is the Biden Immigration Policy Regarding Illegal Border Crossings?
Since the beginning of President Joe Biden’s term, the Southwest Border Patrol has encountered an astonishing number of over 5.6 million illegal border crossers. What’s even more remarkable is that out of those, more than 2.3 million individuals have been released into the country. This statistic raises an important question within the context of the Biden Immigration Policy: Why are so many being allowed to stay?
How Does the Apportionment of Congressional Seats Connect with Immigration?
A clue to the administration’s approach may lie in one of President Biden’s first executive orders, which reversed a previous memorandum excluding undocumented immigrants from the census count. This count is pivotal because it’s the basis for determining the number of seats each state holds in the House of Representatives.
Interestingly, these undocumented immigrants tend to gravitate towards cities with Democratic governance, often because these cities have sanctuary policies that offer protection against deportation. According to President Biden, “our elected representatives have a responsibility to represent the interests of all people residing in the United States and affected by our laws.” However, this notion appears to clash with laws that make undocumented individuals deportable.
Critics argue that rather than representing the interests of illegal border crossers, this strategy serves the interests of the Democratic Party.
What are the Implications of Including Undocumented Migrants in the Census?
The process for allocating congressional seats is enshrined in Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution, which mandates the apportionment of representatives among states every ten years. Shockingly, if undocumented immigrants were excluded from the 2020 census as former President Trump proposed, several states would have seen changes in their congressional seat distributions, according to Pew Research Center insights.
Mark Krikorian, with the Center for Immigration Studies, has voiced a strong opinion on this subject: “Illegal immigrants aren’t even supposed to be here, so their inclusion in the census count for purposes of apportionment really is outrageous.”
What Other Reasons Might There Be for Allowing Millions of Illegal Border Crossers to Stay?
While altering the census might be one reason, there are other theories including:
1. Asylum Seeker Accessibility
The notion was that more asylum seekers should have access to the process, but the growing backlog of cases in immigration courts presents a severe challenge. With the backlog rocketing to 3,363,667 cases as of January 2024, it’s clear the system is overwhelmed.
2. Filling Job Vacancies
The U.S. faces a substantial gap between job openings and unemployed workers. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce indicates a need for more immigrants to fill these roles. Yet, there seems to be no clear strategy for ensuring that the migrants filling these jobs possess the necessary skills or language proficiency.
How Are Cities Coping With the Influx of Undocumented Migrants?
Cities like New York are bearing the brunt of these policies, struggling to provide housing and other services to the influx of undocumented migrants. Mayor Eric Adams has expressed a deep concern that this situation could have dire consequences for the city.
The release of illegal border crossers appears not to stem from a belief in their ability to seek asylum or immediately fill job vacancies but rather from a desire to gain a political edge in congressional seat allocation.
Conclusion
President Biden’s approach to immigration, particularly concerning the large number of illegal border crossers, seems to intertwine humanitarian concerns with political strategy. As cities strain under the pressure and immigration courts buckle under a staggering case backlog, the outcomes of these policies are yet to be fully realized.
For further insights into the impact of immigration policies on specific communities, such as measures to protect Indian students, you may read more at VisaVerge. To understand the broader implications of Biden’s immigration initiatives, including the shocking plans to shut down the border or how the administration is addressing the STEM visa policy, VisaVerge offers comprehensive reports and analyses.
This Article In A Nutshell:
President Biden’s immigration policy has allowed over 2.3 million illegal border crossers to stay in the US, raising questions on motives. Concerns range from asylum access to job vacancies, impacting cities and immigration courts. The inclusion of undocumented immigrants in the census for Congressional seat allocation adds complexity to the debate.
