President Biden's New Immigration Plan Draws Criticism

President Joe BidenPhoto byTwitter

President Joe Biden announced a new rule for migrants attempting to cross the southern border. Some believe the new immigration rule is no different than when former President Donald Trump was in office.

The Biden administration rejects the comparison to the previous administration. This new rule is not in effect yet and will be listed in the public registrar where it is open for public comment. It is possible the rule goes into effect in May when Title 42 is expected to end.

The new immigration rule will last for two years. The Department of Homeland Security rolled out the new rule. This rule requires migrants to request asylum in another country before they arrive in the United States. If migrants do not, they will be immediately expelled.

Here are the critics

Since President Biden came into office, and with little effort from Congress to pass any meaningful legislation, a few new orders were implemented this year.

Last month, as President Biden made his first trip to the southern border, he required migrants to use the CBP One app to request a meeting at a port of entry. Then he limited the number of migrants to 30,000 a month and only from the countries of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.

These two initiatives have slowed down the number of migrants who have legally requested asylum.

Now with the new policy, there are those who don’t like it.

The communication director for America’s Voice Douglas Rivlin said in a statement:

“President Biden ran for and won the presidency by pledging to turn the page on the cruelty and chaos of the Trump era and ‘restore the soul of America’. It’s hard to reconcile those promises with the details of the proposed asylum ban announced today."

Then president and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service Krish O’Mara Vignarajah said in a statement the rule:

"reaches into the dustbin of history to re-institute one of the most harmful and illegal anti-asylum policies of the Trump administration".

And then, of course, members of Congress had their own complaints.

Democratic Representatives in the Judiciary Committee Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) and Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) said in a joint statement they were “disappointed” with the proposal.

“The ability to seek asylum is a bedrock principle protected by federal law and should never be violated. We should not be restricting legal pathways to enter the United States, we should be expanding them. Last month, we saw the positive impact new legal pathways can have on irregular migration. We hope the Biden administration will reconsider much of this proposed rule.”

The top Democrat on the House Border Security Committee Representative Lou Correa (D-Calif.) said this will limit deserving asylum seekers from coming.

“This action will bar deserving asylum seekers arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border from claiming asylum if they passed through another country en route to the United States without seeking protection.”

“This rule will give those seeking refuge the presumption of ineligibility to seek safe-haven in the United States—and it is unconscionable, unacceptable, and un-American.”

Here are more details on the new policy:

Do you think this is a good or bad plan from the Biden administration?