This would be the reason for the arrival of migrants to the US 1:03
(CNN) -
The Biden administration faces the possibility of another immigration headache as it considers reopening America's borders more widely in the near future, just days after current travel restrictions expire.
An increase in migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border became a political problem earlier this year, overwhelming border facilities and making headlines because of poor conditions.
Now, White House task forces are evaluating extending the 30-day restrictions on nonessential travel, which have been in place since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
The latest restrictions, announced in June, will remain in effect until July 21.
The Biden administration is expected to remove the pandemic-era public health order, which allows for the swift removal of migrants at the border by the end of the month, in a staged approach, a source familiar with the matter told CNN, beginning with migrant families.
That order has been the subject of litigation.
But your relaxation does not guarantee that restrictions on nonessential travel will be lifted.
advertising
Complicating the effort is the variety of covid-19-related travel restrictions that have become intertwined, raising the question internally: can one set of limits be lifted without the other, or should it be all at once?
The risk of the delta variant in discussion
A White House official told CNN that interagency working groups with the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada and Mexico have met several times to discuss a series of considerations that are being taken into account to reopen the trips of safely, including the administration's national vaccination effort and the risk posed by the delta variant.
"While these groups have met several times, there are more discussions before we can announce the next steps in reopening travel with any country," the official said.
The discussions also collide with political events in Haiti and Cuba that have reinforced concerns about the potential for further migration from both countries.
Cubans have come to the US-Mexico border in greater numbers.
In May, the Border Patrol arrested more than 2,600 Cubans.
Before the pandemic, between October and December 2019, arrests of Cubans ranged between 300 and 500, according to data from fiscal year 2020.
There has been a similar increase in Haitians, although the Department of Homeland Security recently announced the designation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti.
A warning for migrants
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas issued a warning Tuesday to those considering migrating to the United States.
"Let me be clear: if they go to sea, they will not come to the United States," he said, emphasizing that no migrant, "regardless of nationality," will be allowed to enter the country.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have argued that restrictions related to covid-19 are intended to protect public health.
That argument could be undermined with the relaxation of some restrictions over others, which will in part result in tense deliberations among officials who are wary of opening up too soon with the threat of variants that are highly communicable, the source said.
The restrictions also remain in effect for foreign nationals of certain countries.
The rise of the delta variant in the United Kingdom is the "main reason" the United States has not eased travel restrictions there, a senior health official previously told CNN.
A spokesman for US Homeland Security acknowledged to CNN "the positive developments in recent weeks" but did not commit to when cross-border travel will fully resume.
The Department of Homeland Security is among the agencies in the White House expert working groups with Canada and Mexico, "to identify the conditions under which restrictions can be safely and sustainably relieved," the spokesperson added.
Canada opposes an early reopening of the border
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, meanwhile, has roundly rejected the idea that non-essential visitors will soon be allowed to travel to Canada.
"I can tell you now that that is not going to happen for long," he said during a campaign-style stop in British Columbia last Thursday.
The Canada-US border remains closed to non-essential travel until at least July 21.
Currently only Canadian citizens and residents can enter Canada by land, sea or air, unless travelers are exempt for performing essential work.
The U.S.-Mexico border also remains closed to nonessential travel until July 21.
Mexico allows US travelers by air.
Thousands of people cross the US-Mexico border every day to work, go to school, and do other activities.
Essential travel includes people who travel for medical purposes, attend school, or are in business, such as truck drivers, among others.
Frustration at the border
Uncertainty over whether the restrictions will be renewed or lifted has frustrated border communities that are desperate to get back to normal.
"We have had situations where people cannot get clearance to cross by foot or car, but they can easily go to an airport and fly," said San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, who participated in a recent call with officials. American immigration authorities whom he characterized as a professional.
"It's these kinds of things that aren't consistent, but they add frustration," he said.
"Our economy will not reopen until our border opens," Gloria added.
Democratic Rep. Brian Higgins of New York also shared his frustrations at the lack of transparency about easing the restrictions in an interview with CNN last week.
"It defies logic, it defies science. It defies facts," said Higgins, who serves as co-chair of the Northern Border Group, referring to limitations on cross-border travel and emphasizing the links between border communities in the United States and Canada.
Internally, US Customs and Border Protection officials are preparing for the eventual lifting of border restrictions, according to two agency officials.
Some are concerned about staffing and whether there are enough officers and agents to process a larger number of people, one of the officials said.
Criticism of Biden for Title 42
Customs and Border Protection's Office of Field Operations, which is responsible for border security at U.S. ports of entry, has returned agents to ports of entry, in anticipation of the lifting of restrictions, said another. agency official.
The Biden administration has faced harsh criticism for relying on Title 42 from the public health authority.
That rule was established under the Trump administration to expel migrants found at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Public health officials, at the time, suspected political motivations behind the decision.
Since last October, the Border Patrol has expelled 648,185 migrants under that rule, according to agency data.
Immigrant advocates claim the policy has put migrants in danger, leaving many, including those seeking asylum, in dangerous conditions in Mexico. The policy has also been condemned by public health experts, who argue that the order is "based on political considerations, rather than public health," and by the United Nations refugee agency.
"Guaranteed access to a safe territory and the prohibition of the return of asylum seekers are fundamental precepts of the 1951 Refugee Convention. The refugee law, which governments must respect to protect the rights and lives of refugees "United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said in a May statement.
He added that "they have also had serious humanitarian consequences in northern Mexico."
BordersJoe Biden