America is facing a surge in migrants at the southern border
Images: John Moore/Getty
US immigration authorities have closed several bridges and ports of entry along the southern border with Mexico, in an effort to contain record-high levels of unauthorized migrant crossings in recent days.
By the numbers: US Customs and Border Protection officers along the southern border encountered more than 10,000 unauthorized migrants/day on several occasions over the past week, numbers which CBP Acting Commissioner Troy Miller described as âunprecedented.â
- The agency is currently holding 26,000+ unauthorized migrants in its custody, or ~10,000 people over capacity.
- Officials say the migrants are coming from a wider range of nations than ever before, including some demographic patterns that are telltale signs of smuggler-directed operations.
The recent surge comes as Congress is negotiating over stricter border controls. GOP lawmakers have said they wonât approve President Bidenâs proposed $110 billion package of aid for Ukraine, Israel, and other security priorities unless congressional Democrats agree to tighten enforcement of the southern border in return.
Lawmakers have been discussing a bipartisan deal that would expand deportations, curb asylum claims, and allow federal officials to quickly expel migrants during periods of mass crossings like the present day â but negotiations are stalled until at least after the holiday recess.
đď¸ On a state level: This week, Texas approved a new law allowing state police to arrest unauthorized migrants and granting local judges authority to order them to leave the country. The ACLU and other civil rights groups have sued to stop the measure from taking effect in March, calling it unconstitutional since Congress has given the federal government sole authority over immigration enforcement.
đ Flash poll: Do you personally consider unauthorized immigration to be: a crisis, a fairly significant problem, a minor problem, or not a problem for the US?
See a 360 view of what media pundits are saying â
Sprinkles from the Left
- Some commentators argue that if President Biden and Congress truly want to solve Americaâs immigration issue, they should focus less on hardening the border and more on dealing with the regional dimension of the challenge in Latin and South America.
- Others contend that Congress should resist demands from Republicans to unequivocally close the border, but should also avoid Democratsâ tendency to err on the side of opening the doors so wide that poor and working-class voters can feel displaced.
- âAn immigration solution south of the borderâ âWaPo Editorial Board
- âYou Canât Fix Immigration While Holding Ukraine Hostageâ âFarah Stockman, NY Times
- âA border deal can save Ukraine, aid Israel and Taiwan, and help Bidenâ âJennifer Rubin, WaPo
Sprinkles from the Right
- Some commentators argue that congressional lawmakers on both sides should enter good-faith negotiations over border security, since the stars have aligned for a rare opportunity to have Democrats on board for enacting significant change.
- Others contend that much of the recent surge in migration thatâs weighing on the social safety nets of cities across America can be directly attributed to President Bidenâs open-border policies allowing millions of migrants to enter freely.
- âCongress should seize this rare chance at comprehensive immigration reformâ âChicago Tribune Editorial Board
- âThe smart immigration policy open-borders Biden refuses to considerâ âBetsy McCaughey, NY Post
- âThe Border Catastrophe Shouldnât Overshadow the Question of Legal Immigration Levelsâ âMark Krikorian, National Review
Share this!
Recent Discussion stories
Discussion
  | December 20, 2023Congress has been historically unproductive this year
đď¸ The current session of Congress could use a stern reprimand from Principal Strickland in Back to the Future, because itâs shaping up to be the biggest slacker of its kind in modern history, per new data from analytics firm Quorum.
Discussion
  | December 18, 2023In this economy?? A look at how US consumers are doing
đ US retail sales rose unexpectedly last month, extending a week of positive readings for Americaâs economy. But are the positive vibes being felt by US consumers?
Discussion
  | December 15, 2023Congress approved the US militaryâs annual budget
đ This week, the House and Senate both overwhelmingly approved a new $886 billion defense spending and policy bill, sending the measure to President Biden who is expected to sign it into law shortly.
You've made it this far...
Let's make our relationship official, no đ or elaborate proposal required. Learn and stay entertained, for free.đ
All of our news is 100% free and you can unsubscribe anytime; the quiz takes ~10 seconds to complete