Biden admin quietly approves construction of U.S.-Mexico border wall near Yuma, Arizona
FOX NewsSep 09, 2022
US Projects Record Year for Southern Border Migrant Arrivals
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Image copyright: Getty Images [via CBS News]
The Facts
The United States is on track to see the highest number of migrant arrivals since records began, with 2M people expected to have crossed illegally by the end of the year. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on Mon. released their data for July, showing that 1.8M people have arrived in the U.S. so far this fiscal year.
In July, CBP logged 134K arrests of single adult migrants. 48% of these arrests were expelled under the pandemic-era Title 42 program.
The Spin
Republican narrative
Biden has pledged to reverse many of the hardline immigration policies of former Pres. Trump, but has struggled with record-high attempted border crossings. His unwise rollback of these policies has encouraged even more illegal immigration and has led to the current crisis.
Democratic narrative
Although Biden is often blamed for the current migration numbers, the majority of the crossings happened under Trump-era policies. Title 42 was intended to deter migration into the U.S. during the COVID pandemic, but it has created a crisis instead. This situation was incubated under Trump's initiatives and ideology.
Cynical narrative
The pandemic hit Latin American economies harder than any other region in the world, forcing millions of people out of work, while in the U.S. the post-COVID rebound created a strong demand for the kinds of low-paying jobs migrants usually take. This is not a political issue but rather a matter of global supply and demand for labor.
