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Decades-long issues at the southern border of the United States may be reaching a tipping point, and few Americans are pleased with the way the Biden administration is addressing the issue.
The state has taken a financial hit as a result of the flood of migrants at the border, being forced to move resources to address the border issue. Unable to arrest people in the country illegally on immigration charges, Houston Public Media reported that state authorities instead are charging migrants with trespassing charges. Dubbed Operation Lone Star, the Texas Department of Safety has arrested nearly 6,000 immigrants on charges of criminal trespassing in just over two months.
“We have an infrastructure in place,” Victor Escalon, the DPS South Texas Regional director, said at a press event cited by Houston Public Media. “We’re arresting 20 to 30 to 40 a day. There is no way a local county jail can handle that.”
Amid the broiling controversy, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas acknowledged to the Associated Press that going after everyone who has entered the country illegally is virtually impossible. He told the news service that some cases should be ignored when people are contributing to their communities, despite this, U.S. Customs and Border Protection continues to focus its attention on the Del Rio Port of Entry, where Haitian migrants have been lining up.
“The Border Patrol is increasing its manpower in the Del Rio Sector and coordinating efforts within [the Department of Homeland Security] and other relevant federal, state and local partners to immediately address the current level of migrant encounters and to facilitate a safe, humane and orderly process,” Dennis Smith, a CBP spokesperson, told the Texas Tribune in an email.
The Houston Chronicle reported that the administration expelled about 5,000 Haitians who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border at Del Rio in recent weeks. The administration has been expelling families under Title 42, a rarely used part of the U.S. Code dealing with public health. Biden’s guidelines allow authorities to pursue migrants only if they recently crossed into the country illegally or are a threat to public safety, according to the publication. The influx of Haitians is straining the state’s resources, with thousands lined up at the Del Rio Port of Entry, Val Verde County Sheriff Joe Frank Martinez told the Texas Tribune.
“Border Patrol is overwhelmed,” Martinez told the publication. “They just can’t process them fast enough, so there’s a backlog of these individuals underneath the bridge. They’re not detained, they’re just gathered there waiting their turn to get processed.”
Citing an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll, Click2Houston noted that 35% of Americans approve of the administration’s handling of immigration. This is down 8% from April, when it had emerged as one of the president’s worst issues.
The issues surrounding the southern border have been dragging Biden’s approval ratings down, Click2Houston noted, citing the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll. The president’s rating is constant among Republicans at 11% support and among Democrats, it dropped about 7%, while his support among Independents slid 24%.
Click2Houston also reported that Biden faces opposition on immigration within the Democratic party. Just 60% of Democrats approve of his handling of immigrations, compared with 6% of Republicans. Amid this heat, the administration issued new rules to manage illegal immigration. And this has forced U.S. Customs and Border Protection to make changes, according to the Texas Tribune.