The US newspaper The Washington Post criticized the government's handling of the migrant crisis on the southern border of the United States and missed the "consistent strategy" of the administration led by US President Joe Biden regarding illegal immigrants in an article on Sunday.
"The Biden administration - which obviously desperately wanted to bring order to the increasingly uncontrollable migration through some kind of immigration strategy - launched a flood of words and goals that lacked any concrete policy or agenda," says the author of the article .
"They have effectively reversed and rolled back some of the Trump administration's harmful measures, but lacked a clear roadmap for dealing with the immediate crisis," the Washington Post wrote.
According to the article, the inconsistent policies of the Biden administration may lead to the Democrats losing their current majority in the lower house of the US legislature and in the Senate in the midterm elections due in 2022.
The daily noted that although US Vice President Kamala Harris has developed a long-term strategy to deal with the Central American factors currently stimulating illegal immigration, but - as they write - an actual action plan is missing.
Also seen as a failure, according to the article, was that travel restrictions were eased or removed while the vice president told immigrants not to try to come to the United States.
"This failure is measurable and politically toxic"
- said the Post.
In June, a record number of nearly 190,000 migrants were detained by the border guards at the southern border of the United States, despite the fact that, according to previous experience, the summer heat usually deters immigrants from leaving.
According to the latest reports, another record was set in July, with 210,000 migrants detained. However, the last month's data has not yet been officially released. Since the beginning of the fiscal year, the authorities have apprehended a total of 1.1 million immigrants.
"Horrified by the numbers, the administration — angering immigration advocates — announced it would keep a Trump-era public health measure that prevents migrant families from seeking asylum at the southern border"
- wrote the Post.
"However, the measure known as Article 42 has proven to be increasingly ineffective as a deterrent. Migrants try to cross the border again and again, even when they know they can be deported without an asylum application being considered."
- added the author of the article.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported that 34 percent of migrants apprehended in June attempting to cross the border illegally had attempted to enter the U.S. at least once in recent years. Single adults continue to make up the largest group of migrants, even though their numbers fell by 3 percent in June.
On the other hand, the number of unaccompanied minors and families trying to cross illegally has increased.
MTI
Cover photo illustration / source: Reuters
