Biden calls for regional framework to ‘dramatically expand’ migration pathways

President Biden on Thursday referred to as for a “regional declaration on migration and safety” this summer season to be signed together with different nations — a framework that features provisions to “dramatically broaden” migration pathways.

“Our hemisphere migration challenges can’t be solved by one nation or anybody border. We’ve to work collectively,” Biden mentioned, as his administration continues to grapple with a historic disaster on the U.S. southern border.

BIDEN ADMIN BEGINS REMOVING SOME VENEZUELAN MIGRANTS TO COLOMBIA AMID SURGE IN NUMBERS

The Biden administration has leaned arduous right into a “root causes” method to tackling migration, which blames the large surge in migration on the southern border beneath Biden’s watch on issues like poverty, violence and local weather change in Central America.

Nonetheless, because it has pursued that method, the numbers have remained excessive, with January’s border numbers considerably outstripping these from the prior 12 months — indicating {that a} surge in the summertime might be on the best way. In the meantime, BuzzFeed Information reported on Thursday that the Biden administration is planning to inform Mexico that it might quickly finish Trump-era Title 42 public well being protections, and that officers are nervous about “traditionally and unseasonably excessive” numbers of migrants.

Biden, assembly with Colombian President Ivan Duque Marquez, referred to as for a regional response to the hemisphere’s migration, together with a “new framework of our nations” to collectively handle migration within the Western Hemisphere. He mentioned the objective is to signal a “regional declaration on migration and safety” with different international locations on the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles in June.

Biden mentioned the framework “must dramatically broaden entry to resettlement and different authorized pathways to migration, and it must aggressively pursue the felony smugglers and traffickers who prey on all these people for revenue.”

BORDER PATROL AGENTS DON’T BUY BIDEN PLEDGE TO SECURE BORDER AS THEY DEAL WITH MIGRANT CRISIS 

“That is the easiest way, in my opinion, for us to stay as much as our collective values and welcome immigrants and refugees, preserve migrants protected and safe all our international locations,” he mentioned. 

The administration has, along with its root causes rationalization, additionally blamed the surge on the Trump administration’s shutting down of authorized asylum pathways. Critics nevertheless, have blamed the surge on the rollback of Trump-era insurance policies, mixed with requires amnesty for unlawful immigrants and a dramatic discount in enforcement by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE.)

The Biden administration final month confirmed that it has began eradicating some Venezuelan migrants encountered on the southern border to Colombia beneath Title 42 public well being protections if they’d beforehand lived in Colombia. The variety of Venezuelans encountered on the border had elevated from 206 in December 2020 to 24,819 in December 2021.

“Mr. President, the USA goes to proceed to do our half to help Colombia as you take care of Venezuelan refugees,” Biden informed his counterpart.