Controversy with President Biden’s Handling of the Ongoing Border Crisis

Image courtesy of The Wall Street Journal

By Noelia Veras

President Biden has been challenged more than ever by the ongoing crisis at the border. Families are being separated, information is being withheld, and the coronavirus is making the situation more dire.

According to ABC News, authorities have reported that in the month of March, the number of children unaccompanied at the border hit an all time high. It was reported that in March 18,663 unaccompanied children were at the border, superseding the previous highs of 11,475 in May 2019 and 10,620 in June 2014. Evidently, this presents a challenge for the president as he tries to reverse the policies established by the previous administration, while also maintaining transparency.

Many people have criticized President Biden for the lack of transparency regarding the border crisis. Particularly, journalists have been pressuring the administration to grant news outlets access to border facilities.

On March 24, for the first time, the Biden administration gave journalists access to a Texas border facility for young migrants that crossed the southern border. This came after weeks of denying members of new media access. However, this facility was not over capacity, like so many of the other detention-like facilities, that are being criticized.

“We are on pace to encounter more individuals on the southwest border than we have in the last 20 years,” said Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas in a statement.  “We are expelling most single adults and families. We are not expelling unaccompanied children.  We are securing our border, executing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) public health authority to safeguard the American public and the migrants themselves, and protecting the children. We have more work to do.”

On April 1, a bill was introduced by Republican Rep. John Katko of New York and Democratic Rep. Henry Cueller of Texas to help provide immediate resources during border influxes and protect Homeland Security funding. According to CNN, the bills would also help prevent government bottlenecks that enable holding children in border custody longer than necessary.

“Agents and officers on the frontlines are suffering through another crisis, in the midst of a global pandemic,” Rep. Katko said, according to CNN. “We need greater confidence that the Federal government can manage these crises going forward.”

Additionally, a $1 billion fund would be established by the legislation servicing the future humanitarian needs that are bound to arise. In order to access the fund, the Department of Homeland Security, along with other federal agencies, need to come up with a plan regarding the current border crisis.

This all comes as the White House announces that Border Coordinator Roberta Jacobson is leaving the role at the end of April, putting Vice President Kamala Harris fully in charge of U.S. diplomatic efforts in Central America. Although, according to the White House this was a premeditated and planned action, this was largely unexpected for the public as she had been engaged in media interviews just hours before the announcement.

“Consistent with her commitment at the outset to serve in the administration’s first 100 days, Ambassador Jacobson will retire from her role as coordinator at the end of this month,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement, according to NBC News.

Ultimately, Biden is intent on undoing the changes made to the immigration policy by the last administration, but all of this may come at his detriment as many people have already been disappointed by his handling of the border crisis. As of right now, the enduring concerns for many people involve the protection of families at the border and the protection of the border itself.