Amid the increase in the arrival of unaccompanied minors to the southwest border and fears over the raids by immigration agents, the Secretary of National Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, had an exclusive conversation with Noticias Telemundo in which he spoke about these issues. .
The end of massive immigration raids?
The secretary, who emigrated from Cuba with his family when he was still very young and has become the first Latino and the first immigrant to fill the post, announced this week the end of the massive Immigration and Customs Service (ICE) raids. , for its acronym in English) in the workplace, a common practice during the Trump Administration that destroyed hundreds of Latino families.
This is something we've been working on for some time now, making sure our policing is done in a humane and responsible manner and I decided that to achieve this we should focus our efforts on employers who are unscrupulous and take advantage of the vulnerable people who do not have documents or a legal presence in the United States "
Alejandro mayorkas, secretary of national security
In the interview, the presenter of the morning news program Hoy Día, Arantxa Loizaga, asked Mayorkas if this meant that the agents were now going to intercept the migrants when they went to their jobs or schools.
"ICE agents will not detain people when they are on their way to work or school," the official assured him in response, adding that the Administration's priority will be to deport those people who constitute a danger to public or national security.
[ICE will not be able to arrest and deport immigrants "just for being undocumented," according to new regulations]
A stalled immigration reform
Speaking about the difficulties faced in Congress by the project to provide a path to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants, Mayorkas urged legislators to find agreements to move forward on the issue and defended the policies that the Administration has taken. Biden to modernize the immigration system.
Immigrants protest from coast to coast and demand a path to citizenship
Oct. 7, 202101: 46
"The guidelines that I issued on September 30 are very powerful examples of what this Government can do, is doing and will continue to do," said the official, referring to the order that prohibits the deportation of migrants for the simple fact of not to be able to prove their legal stay.
The drama of abandoned children
When Mayorkas was asked about the upturn in lone children found at the border by the authorities, which in the last month numbered more than 19,000, the secretary explained how government agencies proceed in these cases.
Telemundo News 6:30 pm, October 14, 2021
Oct. 15, 202118: 58
"What we do when we come across an unaccompanied minor is take him into our custody and deliver him as quickly as possible to the care of Health and Human Services, until they can place that child in the care of a family member, a parent, a legal guardian or other qualified sponsor, "Mayorkas said.
According to data from Border Protection and Customs (CBP, for its acronym in English),
encounters with
children who crossed the border without their parents or guardians increased by 163%
in fiscal year 2021 compared to the previous year.
This week alone, at least three different cases of unaccompanied minors who put their lives in danger crossing the border through the desert were highlighted in the media, in addition to that of a migrant mother who gave birth in the middle of a field when the authorities detained her.
Two Honduran sisters ages 4 and 6 were found alone while wandering through the desert near the Morelos Dam in Yuma, Arizona.
[An immigrant father hugs his son after 20 years apart]
When Border Patrol agents found them among the dry vegetation, they realized they had a note with information to find their aunt, who resides in the United States.
The girls were found in good health and have already been transferred to the Department of Health and Human Services.
"Do not put your children, your loved ones or yourself in the hands of smugglers who only care about profits and not the welfare of the people ... do not take on such a dangerous journey, do not undertake it," Mayorkas asked, who also stressed that the border is not open.
The 7-year-old girl who was abandoned at the border is in Los Angeles waiting to be reunited with an uncle
Oct. 13, 202100: 31
The opening of border entry points for the vaccinated
Before the announcement that fully vaccinated people will be able to enter the United States through the official ports of entry, as long as they have the corresponding legal authorization, Mayorkas clarified that it was not an invitation for people who do not have the appropriate documents to enter the country legally.
He also highlighted that undocumented immigrants who wish to seek asylum have an opportunity to do so legally, arriving at the ports of entry.
But it did not clarify if there will be options for them to get vaccinated right there if they have not already done so.
No date for removal of Title 42
Mayorkas stressed that this rule known as Title 42, by which most migrants are expelled expeditiously, without the right to request asylum, is a guideline established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, for its acronym in English).
"It is based on a public health need, it is not an immigration issue, as long as that public health need is maintained and as long as we have not emerged from the pandemic, that need will continue," the official explained.
What happened to the thousands of Haitians who were in the Rio Grande?
Many have been expelled by authorities under public health rules, Mayorkas said.
[Haitian loses her baby due to alleged beating by an agent]
Others voluntarily returned to Mexico, "understanding that their efforts to remain in the US would not be successful."
Still others were taken to places on the border while being deported.
The other individuals have been referred to the courts to process their asylum applications, who could be deported if the judges deny their requests, he explained.
The future of the 'Stay in Mexico' program
After a court ordered the Biden Administration to reinstate the asylum program known as 'Stay in Mexico' (Migrant Protection Protocols, by its official name), the government has appealed that decision.
Through the program, which has been widely criticized by human rights defenders, thousands of asylum seekers have been sent to Mexican border cities to wait for their cases in US immigration courts.
What is known about the 'Stay in Mexico' program and what will happen to the people waiting for an answer?
Sept.
9, 202103: 16
"We do not agree with the policy of staying in Mexico established by the previous government," Mayorkas emphasized.
"We continue to disagree with the court, but we have been ordered to implement it, while we continue to battle in court."
"I have indicated that I am going to issue a new memorandum rescinating this order to remain in Mexico, but in the meantime we are obligated to comply with the court order."
Alejandro Mayorkas Secretary of National Security
Hundreds of people in this program have fallen victim to criminal groups in Mexico, who kidnap them and ask their relatives for thousands of dollars in exchange for the release of their loved ones.
"I have indicated that I am going to issue a new memorandum rescinating this order to remain in Mexico, but in the meantime we are obliged to comply with the order of the court," said the secretary.
"I think about my Hispanic heritage every day"
When asked about his Cuban-American identity, Mayorkas assured that "not a single day goes by when I don't think about my parents and what they built for my brothers and for me ... I think about my Hispanic heritage every day." .
The secretary asked Latinos, within the framework of Hispanic Heritage Month, "to share the pride that I feel and know what they do."