President Joe Biden appeared before Congress on Tuesday to announce his government's achievements in domestic and foreign policy in his first State of the Union address.
He spoke about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the economy and rising inflation, and the state of immigration policies in the country.
"If we want to promote freedom and justice, we must secure the border and fix the immigration system," the president said during his speech.
Biden assured that the United States can achieve both and recalled that new technological devices "such as state-of-the-art scanners" have been installed at the border to detect drug smuggling and other illicit activities.
They denounce insults, humiliation and threats to migrants at border posts.
CBP fights back
Feb. 22, 202200:44
[Biden's handling of immigration receives a low score according to his own poll]
"We have established joint patrols with Mexico and Guatemala to catch more human traffickers. We are implementing immigration judges so that the cases of families fleeing persecution and violence can be processed faster," the president said.
In addition, Biden emphasized the alliances and commitments that he is establishing with various governments in South and Central America in order to "welcome more refugees and secure their own borders."
"We can do all of this while keeping the torch of freedom burning that has brought generations of immigrants to this land - my ancestors and many of theirs valued that," the president said.
Mexico and the US reach a security agreement to attack the causes of migration
Oct. 8, 202100:31
[USCIS Extends Work Permits for Some Migrants to Two Years to Ease Backlogs That Leave Many Unemployed]
According to a recent poll commissioned by the migrant advocacy group NILC Immigrant Justice Fund,
66% of likely voters in the midterm elections disapprove of the
president's handling of immigration.
Biden assured that a path to citizenship must be provided for Dreamers, people with temporary status, as well as agricultural workers and essential workers.
"We must review our laws so that businesses have the workers they need and families don't wait decades to be reunited. It's not only the right thing to do, it makes economic sense," the president said.
"That is why immigration reform has the support of everyone, from unions to religious leaders and the United States Chamber of Commerce. Let's do it once and for all," he said.
[It is false that undocumented immigrants have greater access to medical care than Americans]
Among its findings, the NILC Immigrant Justice Fund survey specifies that 71% of the people consulted said that immigration reform should be an extremely or very important priority for the White House and Congress.
"I believe that steps have been taken for a more humane immigration system but, at the same time, there are policies that continue to remain and that were inherited from the Trump times, including the expulsion of migrants seeking political asylum," said Chuy García, a Democratic representative. for Illinois, in a recent interview with Noticias Telemundo.
In recent months, various reports confirm that Biden has expressed his disagreement because he does not have a single guaranteed Republican vote in the Senate in favor of the immigration reform that he proposed at the beginning of his administration.
With letters written by children they ask Biden to stop deportations and an immigration reform
Feb. 21, 202202:17
[The 'Stay in Mexico' program forced more than 70,000 migrants to return to that country]
"I don't think I can even count one," a top Republican aide told NBC News last year.
In May of last year, Republicans said they would not move forward in negotiations unless Biden began to implement tighter control over the southern border.
"Actually, the Republicans are the ones causing a lot of frustration because we have passed the bills for dreamers, the bill for mobilization in order to include more people in legalization (...) but it will depend on what that they want to approve. We want to respect what migration brings to the United States," said Nancy Pelosi, president of the House of Representatives, in an interview with Noticias Telemundo hours before Biden's speech.
Congressman urges more control of temporary visas to avoid "enslaving" immigrants
March 1, 202201:16
[The three Latino congressmen who are not happy with Biden for not achieving immigration relief]
In addition, the Supreme Court recently agreed to examine a quick hearing for the Biden Administration's requirement to end the Stay in Mexico immigration program, which forces asylum seekers to wait in the neighboring country until the hearings of their cases in Mexico courts. United States immigration.
The magistrates agreed to hear the government's appeal against lower court rulings that forced it to reinstate the program launched by former President Donald Trump in 2019.
These migrants located in temporary shelters in Mexico take care of their own protection
Feb. 28, 202201:59
[“We are fed up with lies, we want a reform”: the demand of those who demonstrate in 'A day without immigrants']
Arguments from both sides will be presented in April, with a decision expected before the end of June
.
Biden suspended the program, formally called Migrant Protection Protocols, on his first day in the White House, and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas canceled it permanently in June 2021.
But a court decision forced the government to restart it, and now it is still in force, although at a much slower rate than under Trump.