In response to news of the migrant deaths near the southern Texas border, Gov. Greg Abbott blamed what he said was President Biden’s “open borders” policy.
Technically, the border remains closed to most migrants under a health order issued in the early days of the pandemic that was intended to stem the flow of the coronavirus. But the policy, known as Title 42, has had the unintended effect of encouraging people to enter the country illegally more than once.
Since it was first introduced in March 2020, the order has allowed border agents to expel most migrants quickly without giving them the chance to apply for asylum on the grounds that it was for pandemic security. Many are often returned to Mexico without criminal penalties or detention, leading some to repeatedly attempt to cross the border. The uneven application of the rule — some families and unaccompanied minors are still being treated for asylum — has encouraged others to re-enter the United States.
About three in 10 adults who tried to cross the road have done it more than 11, officials say, and some of them have tried as many as 10 times.
Under Mr Biden, Trump-era policies have been used to turn at least a million people away. His government had tried to lift the order in May, but a federal judge issued a ruling asking the government to continue the measure. Some public health experts have criticized the still in effect order, saying there was little scientific basis for it now that vaccine availability is rife.
Homeland Security officials said they had braced for as many as 18,000 migrants who would arrive daily if the policy ended.
During fiscal year 2021, undocumented migrants were caught a staggering 1.7 million times. By May this year, that number had already passed 1.5 million with four months left in the fiscal year.
Biden has also sought to end a policy commonly known as “Stay in Mexico,” which requires third-country migrants arriving through the southern border to wait for the outcome of their asylum applications in Mexico. The policy is now before the US Supreme Court after states were sued to prevent the Biden administration from ending the program.
The two policies mean, despite Mr Biden’s campaign promises for a changed approach to migrants, border controls will remain largely the same as they were under President Trump.