Amid the wait at the southern U.S. border, many migrants back the reelection of President Biden, anticipating stricter policies should former President Donald Trump return to the White House, according to a new report.
“If it’s Trump, it doesn’t matter how much I work or want to work. They won’t let me in,” pipe fitter Richard Betancourt, 46, told The Free Press as he waited with hundreds of others to cross into the U.S. from Matamoros, Mexico.
Mr. Trump’s administration was marked by efforts to reduce immigrant entry through limits on visas and green card issuances, in addition to hundreds of miles of border wall. Following his departure from office, statistics from The Washington Post show that illegal crossings witnessed a significant rise, recording an unprecedented peak of 2.2 million in 2022.
Since Mr. Biden‘s inauguration in January 2021, illegal immigrants have exceeded the population of 36 states, totaling 7.3 million, reported Fox News.
Mr. Biden initially planned to revoke Title 42 — allowing immediate expulsion of migrants at the border — and permit entry to those claiming credible fear in their home countries, followed by court appearance tickets. But The Free Press noted that these cases can take years to reach the courtroom, during which time migrants can relocate across the U.S., complicating immigration oversight.
Campaigning for a potential return to the White House, Mr. Trump has cast the border invasion as chaotic and linked it to migrant crime in major cities. The rhetoric seems to resonate with voters, as indicated by a March AP-NORC poll where 70% disapproved of Mr. Biden‘s border management.
In response, the president declared an intent to “shut down the border until it could get back under control” earlier this year while seeking bipartisan backing for a Senate security funding proposal. That initiative flopped when conservatives underscored the plan’s details of allowing 5,000 illegals in the country per day.
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