Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, stated on Monday that the United States is facing a significant crisis due to immigration flows across the border. He pointed out that the U.S. administration needs to implement a policy that would halt this influx.
Johnson, as reported by the U.S. channel “Al Hurra,” noted that there is chaos in the form of child smuggling operations into the country, a drug smuggling crisis, and human trafficking gangs due to the refugee influx. He confirmed the detection of smuggling operations in Texas amounting to $32 million per week, and more than $1.5 billion per year.
He added that President Biden has the authority, under federal law, to reactivate the “Remain in Mexico” policy. According to officials’ estimates, reactivating this policy could reduce the flow of migrants by about 70%.
The immigration crisis between the United States and Mexico has been a longstanding issue, with its roots in various economic, social, and political factors. In 2018, the U.S. witnessed distressing images of migrant children separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border, drawing widespread outrage. The subsequent year saw the U.S. holding nearly 70,000 migrant children in custody, the highest number ever recorded. A key policy during this period was the “Remain in Mexico” policy, implemented by the U.S., which required asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their cases progressed through the U.S. courts. This policy resulted in over 60,000 people seeking asylum being sent back to Mexico.
The Pew Research Center provides a statistical view of the situation, noting that since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, most encounters at the border have resulted in expulsions from the U.S., a shift from the previous approach where apprehension was more common. The Trump administration began this practice in March 2020 under a public health order aimed at limiting the spread of COVID-19, and the Biden administration has continued with these expulsions. In fiscal year 2021, the U.S.-Mexico border witnessed the highest recorded level of migrant encounters, surpassing the previous peaks in 2000 and 1986.
