How the border could cost Biden the election
There were nearly 250,000 attempts to cross the southern border in November alone. Most of the newcomers will have sought asylum and been released into America to wait years for their claims to be adjudicated.
Since Mr Biden became president, over 3.1m border-crossers have been admitted. That is more than the population of Chicago.
At least a further 1.7m have come in undetected or overstayed their visas. Republican governors have paid for migrants to go to places run by Democrats, forcing the problems of the southern border northward.
Once that first test is passed, immigrants are typically released awaiting a court date years in the future, because immigration courts are overstuffed with cases.
The average wait for a hearing is over four years. Appeals can add to the delay.
When the new Democratic administration took power its instinct was to do the opposite of whatever Mr Trump had.
Work on the border wall stopped. Democrats ditched the remain-in-Mexico policy, which obliged asylum-seekers to stay south of the border until the authorities decided on their applications.
Predictably, illegal immigration surged.
Since the midterms in 2022, Mr Biden has quietly adopted some of Mr Trump’s policies.
He has agreed to fill gaps in the wall. Asylum-seekers who try to cross undetected will, with a few exceptions, automatically have their applications rejected. They must apply online before showing up.
Yet Americans are unaware of these efforts, partly because Mr Biden is loth to draw attention to his triangulation, lest his own side turns on him.
The Economist 25 January 2024
Kommentarer