is Joe Biden being cruel to Kamala Harris? "Harris is stuck with immigration": https://theweek.com/kamala-harris/1001026/harris-immigration-border
Possibly because top government officials are no longer gleefuly bragging about how mich more cruel they can get? Every discussion about immigtants during the Reign of the Orange Menace started with said menace or one of his flunkies opening their mouths about how they could twist the knife just a bit more. If you don't want people to talk about something, dont talk about it yourself every chance you get. Just a thought.
"New Border Migration Trends Cast Doubt on Biden's Approach": https://reason.com/2021/06/02/new-border-migration-trends-cast-doubt-on-bidens-approach/ excerpt: Beyond the Americas, Jordan reports that migrants are going to great lengths to reach the border. Those from India have traveled to major hubs "like Mumbai, where they boarded planes to Dubai and then connected through Moscow, Paris, and Madrid, finally flying to Mexico City. From there, they embarked on the two-day bus ride to reach the Mexico-U.S. border." Over 2,000 Romanians have already made the journey in fiscal year 2021, compared to 266 in 2020. According to Reuters, these migrants often fly from Paris to Mexico City and are then smuggled by bus to the Rio Grande River, which they cross by raft into Texas. Biden campaigned on a promise to help solve "the humanitarian crisis at our border." His proposed solution includes a four-year, $4 billion plan to invest in security and development in the Northern Triangle nations. That's in addition to the $310 million in aid he sent to those countries in April. All told, these sums are meant "to encourage would-be migrants to stay home" by alleviating the issues that might compel people to come to the U.S., writes Tana Ganeva for Reason. That approach yields mixed results. In a 2019 policy paper, Michael A. Clemens of the Center for Global Development, and Hannah M. Postel, a Princeton University Ph.D. student, reported that "the evidence suggests that the capacity of development assistance to deter migration is small at best." Further, they find that successful development in nearly all formerly poor countries has led to increasedemigration. The Obama administration failed to effectively address root causes of Central American emigration with its aid-driven Alliance for Prosperity Plan, and by the end of the president's tenure, he had deported around 3 million people—many of whom were from the Northern Triangle. Those findings cast doubt on Biden's plan to send aid to nations to keep would-be migrants at home—an approach that would be costly and questionably effective, now that citizens of over 160 countries are arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border. In the long run, making immigration pathways easier to navigate could make streams of migration more predictable, which would help stem sudden influxes like the one currently challenging Biden. And given the changing face of immigration at the Southwest border, spot treatment via foreign aid cannot possibly be a solution. The Trump-era "zero tolerance" policy at the border is not the answer, but neither is Biden's deterrence through development scheme. more at the link
Biden Administration Imposes Cruel Border Restriction Barring Mexicans from Crossing to the US to Sell Blood Plasma https://reason.com/volokh/2021/06/2...from-crossing-to-the-us-to-sell-blood-plasma/ Biden Administration Imposes Cruel Border Restriction Barring Mexicans from Crossing to the US to Sell Blood Plasma Ilya Somin The Biden administration has done a great deal of good by repealing many of the harmful and unjust immigration restrictions imposed under its predecessor. Examples include raising the refugee cap, ending Trump's anti-Muslim travel bans, terminating or allowing to expire the previous administration's bans on most immigration and work visas, revoking the border "emergency" declaration and the accompanying diversion of federal funds to build the wall, and much else. In some cases, Biden has fallen short by failing to keep some of his promises to revoke Trump measures, most notably Title 42 expulsions. But, in such instances, administration defenders can at least say he didn't make things worse. Recently, however, the administration adopted a cruel new border restriction that goes beyond Trump, and really does make things worse in a way that is likely to kill innocent people. In this case, the main victims are not migrants, but Americans and others who need blood plasma to live. Dara Lind and Stefanie Dodt report in an article for ProPublica: U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced on June 15 that effective immediately, it would no longer permit Mexican citizens to cross into the U.S. on temporary visas to sell their blood plasma. A statement provided to ProPublica and ARD said that donating plasma is now considered "labor for hire," which is illegal under the visitor visa most border residents use to cross into the United States to make donations…. The U.S.-Mexico border is still mostly closed to "nonessential travel" due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Biden administration has said those restrictions will remain in place through at least July 21. The travel restrictions have greatly reduced the cross-border plasma business. However, Paul del Rincon, a customs chief based in Eagle Pass, Texas, estimated in an interview posted to Facebook with broadcaster La Rancherita del Aire that even during the pandemic, 300 to 400 people crossed daily to donate plasma…. Before the pandemic, donors could make up to $40 a donation and over $4,000 a year for those who donated as often as possible. U.S. law caps donations at 104 a year, compared to Europe's recommended frequency of 33 times per year. In Mexico, selling plasma is entirely illegal. However, with COVID-19 causing a 20% decrease in plasma donations in 2020, according to the industry group the Plasma Protein Therapeutic Association, prices have soared…. "We know a lot of people depend on what they receive from selling plasma to support themselves in Mexico," del Rincon said. "And we know the plasma centers also count on them. And this is going to hurt them." The U.S. is the biggest global exporter of blood plasma — a market that reached $21 billion in 2019 — and plasma centers openly relied on cross-border donations to keep their supplies up…. The B1/B2 visitor visa used most often by Mexican border residents permits some business activity, but it does not permit Mexican citizens to work in the U.S. Before the new announcement, plasma donation fell into a legal gray area, with some CBP agents refusing to let people cross for donations but others allowing it. Blood plasma is necessary to save the lives of patients suffering from a number of different medical conditions. And, as Lind and and Dodt note, the pandemic has caused a severe shortage of blood plasma, both here and around the world (much of which depends on US supplies, because they ban payments for blood plasma in their own countries). Especially in times of severe shortage, paying donors is essential, because unpaid donations are nowhere near sufficient to meet demand. The new border restriction will predictably exacerbate the shortage, as well as deprive many poor Mexicans of a valuable source of income. Lind and Dodt point out a paternalistic rationale for the restriction: [A]s ProPublica and ARD found, frequent plasma donation was also hurting the Mexican citizens who relied on the system for money. Frequent donors were underweight and showed low levels of antibodies. To my mind, Mexicans (and others) should be allowed to decide for themselves whether they want to take the health risks involved in becoming frequent plasma donors. For many, the extra money might well be worth it. By mitigating their poverty, it might even enable them to improve their overall health, in the long run. One can argue that it is unjust for people to be in a situation where their only realistic options are dire poverty or taking a health risk. But, if so, that injustice cannot be alleviated by further reducing the range of alternatives available to the people in question, such that many are left with only the one they consider even worse than the other. We should not assume that US government officials know what is best for poor Mexicans better than the latter themselves do. Such paternalism is especially worthy of condemnation by those who, like many on the left (as well as most libertarians), support the "my body, my choice" principle. For a more detailed critique of paternalistic rationales for banning blood plasma sales, see this excellent paper by Georgetown political philosopher Peter Jaworski. Even if reliance on paternalistic considerations here is justified, the reasonable solution is not a complete ban on plasma sales by Mexicans on B1 and B2 visas, but merely a restriction on their frequency. Only frequent donations pose significant health risks. I am not going to attempt a detailed analysis of the legal rationale for the new policy. But I will say that the argument that paid plasma donation qualifies as "labor for hire" strikes me as highly dubious. It is far more akin to the sale of a commodity. If a Mexican on a B1/B2 visa sells a used car or a basket of fruit while in the United States, that surely doesn't qualify as "labor for hire." The same reasoning applies to selling blood plasma. the fact that the latter comes from the body doesn't strike me as a decisive difference. After all, selling a car or a fruit basket also involves using your body, in most cases (even if only to hand over the item sold to the buyer). Even if I'm wrong about this legal point (and I admit I might be), administrations of both parties have long exercised wide-ranging discretion over which visa violators and illegal border crossers to prioritize for deportation or exclusion. Biden himself has exercised that authority on a large scale. If there's ever a good reason to exercise executive discretion to prevent people from being barred or deported, it is surely a case where they are crossing for a purpose that is literally a matter of life and death! The administration should immediately reverse this cruel and unjust policy.
"Migrant Children Languished in Filthy Conditions Under Eye of Untrained Contractors, Whistleblowers Say": https://reason.com/2021/07/08/migra...-of-untrained-contractors-whistleblowers-say/ excerpt: Children inside the Biden administration's largest shelter for unaccompanied migrant youth were subjected to filthy living conditions and medical neglect under the watch of unqualified government contractors, two federal whistleblowers said in a complaint filed Wednesday. Laurie Elkin and Justin Mulaire, two federal employees who were detailed to the Fort Bliss emergency intake shelter near El Paso, Texas, filed a whistleblower complaint to Congress alleging they witnessed intolerable noise, filth, and odors inside the large tents where children are housed; contractors who were unqualified to work with youths; and hostility, indifference, and resistance to providing medical treatment to sick kids. The Government Accountability Project, which is representing the two whistleblowers, said that "the conditions they witnessed caused physical, mental and emotional harm affecting dozens of children." Elkin and Mulaire say they were repeatedly ignored or discouraged by Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) superiors when they tried to report the substandard conditions and care children were living under. the complaint: https://whistleblower.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/070721-Fort-Bliss-Whistleblowers-Disclosure.pdf
https://www.wsj.com/articles/an-imm...1tlixwnzkf8&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink An Immigration Reboot for Biden A continuing migrant surge and a DACA ruling show the need for a Democratic Party rethink. By The Editorial Board July 18, 2021 7:07 pm ET The Biden Administration’s immigration policy has been a debacle from the start, but two events Friday ought to spur a reboot. Democrats will need one if they want to avoid a political backlash in 2022 and beyond. Customs and Border Protection reported that its agents had some 188,000 migrant encounters in June. CBP has made more than a million arrests at the U.S.-Mexico border so far this fiscal year, already more than any full-year total since at least 2005. The number of families caught trying to cross reached 55,805 for the month, a 25% increase from May, and unaccompanied children encountered rose to 15,253. These numbers don’t count those who cross illegally and aren’t caught, and they mask the human exploitation of migrants by the cartels that control border crossings. The migrants keep coming despite the vocal pleading of Biden officials because migrants perceive the benefits are worth the risk. The Biden Administration is expelling adults under a pandemic-era emergency policy. But news reports say it is considering an end to that policy, which means migrants would be able to seek asylum and remain in the U.S., often with permission to work, while they wait for their cases to be heard. That can take years given the backlog, and many will never show up in court. No wonder so many pay the cartels and take their chances on the trek through Mexico rather than stay in Central American countries with little economic opportunity and no rule of law. Apparently America’s “systemic racism” isn’t as awful as the Biden Administration claims. But the surge of migrants is a growing political crisis for Democrats, whose failure to fix the broken incentives is costing them support, including among Hispanic-Americans in the border counties of Texas. Meanwhile on Friday, federal Judge Andrew Hanen ruled that the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program is illegal. The George W. Bush appointee ruled that Congress never gave the executive branch the power to grant mass work permits to immigrants who are in the U.S. without authorization. We support offering legal residency for the DACA residents who were bought here illegally as children, but Judge Hanen is right on the law. President Obama once thought so too before he changed his mind under political pressure in his second term. The program has been a legal and political volleyball ever since, putting the future of these young adults in limbo. Mr. Biden said his Administration will appeal, but he can’t be confident of victory. Judge Hanen’s opinion goes to the heart of arguments about the Constitution’s separation of powers and seems headed to the Supreme Court if a legislative solution isn’t found. Democrats ought to use Friday’s news as motivation to rethink their strategy on immigration. Break with the left’s refusal to change the asylum rules in order to send a stronger signal of deterrence to migrants. Then work with Republicans to pass this in return for legalizing DACA candidates. It’s a political long shot amid the border mess, but on its present course the Administration is losing on immigration in court and at the ballot box. Appeared in the July 19, 2021, print edition.
"This is what happens to child migrants found alone at the border, from the moment they cross into the US until age 18": https://theconversation.com/this-is...nt-they-cross-into-the-us-until-age-18-163205
Yes, not a pleasant experience for sure. Thank goodness that Biden ended the policy of actually separating children from their parents and locking them up. It's also good that the amount of time has been reduced under Biden. That's a very huge an significant change. Still much work to be done.
Two More Whistleblowers Come Forward Alleging Neglect and Mismanagement at Migrant Youth Shelter The whistleblower complaints substantiate reporting from Reason in May describing filthy conditions, untrained staff, and neglect. https://reason.com/2021/07/28/two-m...t-and-mismanagement-at-migrant-youth-shelter/
Harris struggling to keep up Thousands of Migrants Huddle in Squalid Conditions Under Texas Bridge The temporary camp in Del Rio has grown with staggering speed in recent days during a massive surge in migration that has overwhelmed the authorities. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/16/us/texas-migrants-del-rio.html?smid=url-share excerpt DEL RIO, Texas — Thousands of migrants were crowded under a bridge outside the border community of Del Rio on Thursday, part of a massive surge in migration across the Rio Grande this week that has overwhelmed the authorities and caused significant delays in processing the arrivals. The U.S. Border Patrol said that more than 9,000 migrants, mostly from Haiti, were being held in a temporary staging area under the Del Rio International Bridge as agents worked as quickly as they could to process them. The temporary camp has grown with staggering speed in recent days, from just a few hundred people earlier in the week. The authorities and city officials said they expected thousands more to cross the ankle-deep river between Mexico and Del Rio in coming days. The Border Patrol said it would send more agents to the region, “to immediately address the current level of migrant encounters and to facilitate a safe, humane and orderly process.” The shaded area under the bridge, the Border Patrol said, was to “prevent injuries from heat-related illness” while migrants were waiting to be taken into custody. more at the link
looks like the money is off the table DOJ says it won't agree to payments to families separated at border https://thehill.com/homenews/admini...nt-give-money-to-families-separated-at-border
Better title and article below. As I said before, if I'm just being political, I would frame this as Trump policy of separating kids from family has caused undue mental harm and ACLU is suing the gov for 19B. We will fight this but if we end up losing, this cost is due to Trump's policy of cruelty. But that's not exactly what's going on here. Looks like they are simply not going for a global settlement but aren't fighting it off either - they may be transitioning to a per case basis, which probably makes more sense in term of fairness. DOJ withdraws from settlement negotiations with separated families, will litigate each case | PBS NewsHour “While the parties have been unable to reach a global settlement agreement at this time, we remain committed to engaging with the plaintiffs and to bringing justice to the victims of this abhorrent policy,” it [DOJ] said.
