Analysis: Biden’s immigration policies may fuel migrant caravan crisis at southern border

January 24, 2021 KayAdmin US 0

WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 21: U.S. President Joe Biden signs an executive order during an event in the State Dining Room of the White House January 21, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

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UPDATED 7:05 PM PT – Sunday, January 24, 2021

The new Democrat White House appears to be digging itself into a hole when it comes to its immigration plan.

In his first days in office, Joe Biden promised to completely overhaul President Trump’s hard-line immigration policies.

“I will introduce an immigration bill immediately and have it sent to the appropriate committees to begin movement,” Biden said. “I will, in fact, countermand executive orders that the President has in fact, initiated.”

However, it’s becoming increasingly clear that repealing certain policies may be disastrous for U.S. national security.

This month, central American migrant caravans — some thousands of people strong — have attempted to cross the border between Guatemala and Mexico in hopes to make it to the U.S. Southern border.

Honduran migrants trying to reach the U.S. take a path through the mountains to avoid the highway police checkpoints, in Chiquimula, Guatemala, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021. A once large caravan of Honduran migrants that pushed its way into Guatemala last week had dissipated by Tuesday in the face of Guatemalan security forces. (AP Photo/Oliver de Ros)

Although thousands have been stopped by local authorities per the Trump-era policy, which called on Central American nations to crack down on the migrant crisis, small groups have reportedly still made it through. They are en route to the U.S. border.

In the meantime, Biden has enacted a number of repeals to President Trump’s policies. These repeals include: Halting the construction of the border wall and suspending President Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy, which told people already in the program to stay where they are until they’re given further notice.

Honduran migrants hoping to reach the U.S. border walk alongside a highway in Chiquimula, Guatemala, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021. Guatemalan authorities estimated that as many as 9,000 Honduran migrants have crossed into Guatemala as part of an effort to form a new caravan to reach the U.S. border. (AP Photo/Sandra Sebastian)

Many immigration experts — including ‘Federation for American Immigration Reform’ president Dan Stein — have called for President Trump’s border policies to not only stay in place, but to be built upon by the new administration.

“Now in the last four years, agreements have been negotiated with northern triangle countries to actually take back their own citizens or other people’s citizens who are claiming refugee status from nearby countries,” Stein stated. “This, along with the agreement to remain in Mexico during the dependency of an asylum claim, have been enormous breakthroughs in discouraging caravans. Those agreements must be maintained and strengthened.”

Biden has also made a proposal to open a citizenship path for over 11 million illegal immigrants living in the United States, which is a policy that lawmakers have said has “little chance of being passed.” Some even called it a “herculean task,” due to its apparent lack of support among Republicans in both congressional chambers.