The Biden Administration will be launching a new program on February 19 that processes asylum-seekers. According to the program, around 25,000 people will be eligible that have been patiently waiting in the “Remain in Mexico” program. This will not have any other impact on others who cross the border illegally.
After Biden’s first few days in office, he came out and stated that he would clear everyone in the “Remain in Mexico” program. Now, his program is finally coming to fruition. They appear to be working quickly, however the plan is to start small – the Department of Homeland Security will start identifying the most vulnerable candidates and begin COVID-19 testing before bringing them to the states.
The goal is to process around 300 cases per day while allowing these people to remain with their families instead of being detained. It was disclosed that only a handful of entry ports across the US-Mexico border will be approved to process the asylum seekers. Again, it will take time for the Biden Administration to process each and every person within the program and could take further time for the program to fully expand.
With violence in Mexico on the rise for decades, many asylum-seekers are those fleeing lives of kidnappings, assaults and rape – the fact that Biden is taking an aggressive stance within the first few weeks of his presidency is a hopeful sign for thousands of those in similar situations.
