On May 4, 2021, Rasmussen Reports’ Immigration Index showed an increase in voter sentiment for tighter immigration control, with the index increasing to 91.5, but still below the baseline set in December 2019 of 100. The data suggests that voters are seeking tighter immigration control from President Biden’s administration, with the index about 15 points below where it was in late October 2020. Recent survey results showed that 58% of likely US voters feel the government is already doing too little to reduce illegal border crossings and visitor overstays, with 76% of Republicans and 64% of voters not affiliated with either major party also having negative views of the government.
House Republicans have formally unveiled their plan for immigration reform after a closed-door negotiation process. The proposal includes measures to restrict those eligible for asylum, reinstitute and expand detention of migrant families, impose increased requirements for employers hiring migrants, boost penalties for immigration violations, and increase border security. Included in this package is also a pledge to build 900 miles of wall along the southern border, a controversial issue that has sparked intense debate among American politicians. The bill is expected to face rejection in the Democrat-controlled Senate or a veto from President Biden, should it be passed.
The immigration debate has intensified as the Title 42 pandemic-era restrictions on asylum-seeking are set to end on May 11th, which has sparked concern from advocates and politicians alike. Children and families are fleeing violence, poverty, and the effects of climate change in Central America and seeking safety in the US. The Northern Triangle countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras have some of the highest child homicide rates in the world, with many children forcibly displaced due to life-threatening harm. Extreme weather, such as back-to-back hurricanes in late 2020, has also displaced families and children. Save the Children is working to address the root causes of this crisis, as well as helping to meet the urgent needs of children and families by providing cash and critical supplies to a network of shelter and social service agencies.
Meanwhile, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has written to Texas Governor Greg Abbott urging him not to send migrants and asylum seekers to her city. Abbott has been busing migrants and asylum seekers from his state to Democratic-led cities as a protest against the Biden administration’s border policies. This has resulted in more than 8,000 people being sent to Chicago since August 2020. If chartered buses arrive in Chicago, she will call on the Biden administration to withhold all federal emergency management agency (FEMA) funds earmarked for Texas, calling Abbott’s plan “inhuman and dangerous”.
The Biden administration is grappling with the issue of rising illegal immigration, with officials reporting that it is still too early to draw conclusions about the number of migrants arriving at the US border with Mexico. The US Border Patrol apprehended 14,752 people over the past 72 hours, with agents encountering fewer than 5,000 people a day since restrictions linked to the pandemic expired on Thursday and new US enforcement measures began on Friday. The number of migrants in US custody has fallen “significantly” since last week, according to Blas Nunez-Neto, assistant secretary for border and immigration policy at the Department of Homeland Security, but remains a concern for the Biden administration, with US authorities predicting up to 14,000 arrests a day and the possibility of the number increasing to 45,000 by the end of May if migrants were not released. Limited information has been given on measures taken by Mexico and Guatemala along their respective southern borders.
As firms dependent on migrants for labour in the US have been unable to secure the essential workers they need, the US Chamber of Commerce has called on Congress to create pathways for legal workers to come to the US to ease the worker shortage and support the implementation of infrastructure projects.
In summary, voter sentiment shows support for tighter immigration control, with Republicans unveiling an immigration reform plan that includes building 900 miles of wall along the southern border, a proposal expected to face rejection or veto. The Title 42 pandemic-era restrictions on asylum-seeking are set to end on May 11th, which has sparked concern from advocates and politicians. Meanwhile, Abbott’s plan to send migrants and asylum seekers to Democratic-led cities has resulted in criticism from Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who has urged him not to send them to her city. The Biden administration is grappling with the issue of rising illegal immigration, with officials reporting that it is still too early to draw conclusions. As firms dependent on migrants for labour in the US have been unable to secure the essential workers they need, the US Chamber of Commerce has called on Congress to create pathways for legal workers to come to the US to ease the worker shortage and support the implementation of infrastructure projects.
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