The Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, said in an exclusive interview with Noticias Telemundo that the Joe Biden Administration "is ready" for the anticipated massive arrival of migrants at the southern border —when this May 11 the sanitary regulation known as Title 42—, but acknowledged that "the situation at the border is very serious" and described it as "a very difficult challenge."
Interviewed from Brownville, Texas, Noticias Telemundo showed Mayorkas the images
of migrants sleeping on the streets of border cities just days before the end of the rule that since 2020 has served the United States for the express expulsion of migrants, citing the threat of COVID-19.
"These images are signs of a broken immigration system that we urge Congress to fix," Mayorkas responded when asked if the United States can guarantee that the same scenes will not continue after May 11.
The Biden Administration, he said, is "pooling all our resources" (to) "avoid those images."
"We are ready, we have a plan for different scenarios," she declared.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in Brownville, Texas, on Friday, May 5. AP
At least three border cities in the southern United States, including El Paso, have declared a state of emergency to deal with the arrival of migrants after the anticipated end of Title 42.
Illegal crossings
into the United States declined
after the Biden administration's announcement in February of greater restrictions on asylums, but have seen a rise since mid-April.
According to the Border Patrol, since that date there have been an average of 7,200 illegal crossings per day, up from 5,200 in March.
The Biden Administration announced this week that 1,500 troops would be sent to El Paso, Texas, to add to the 2,500 National Guardsmen stationed along the border, in response to an expected increase in crossing attempts.
"There will be more severe consequences than Title 42"
In the interview with Noticias Telemundo, Mayorkas
blamed coyotes and human trafficking networks
for misinformation among those seeking to reach the United States and spreading false rumors about a supposed open border.
“Coming to the southern border hand in hand with smugglers is not the way to come [to the United States] and it's not going to work,” Mayorkas said.
And he assured that "if [immigrants] come on May 11, the United States will use the immigration authorities and there will be more severe consequences than Title 42."
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He stressed that
those who try to enter the country illegally will be deported
and will be barred from entering for at least five years, in apparent reference to Title 8, the current immigration law rule that is expected to be used for expulsions after the end of Title 42.
In February 2023 alone, authorities processed 82,407 migrants under Title 8
, "which allows for immediate removal of those who cannot demonstrate fear of persecution or torture, or are found to have no 'credible fear' after an interview with a asylum officer.
The Secretary of Homeland Security insisted that it was always known that Title 42 would end, as it is not an immigration policy but a sanitary measure and that "we now trust that the immigration authorities will impose consequences on those who want to cross the border" irregular.
The problem of deportation flights to Colombia
When asked about the recent decision of the Government of Colombia to suspend the agreement that allowed flights with citizens of that country deported from the United States to be received, Mayorkas indicated that the Biden Administration was "in discussions with the Colombian authorities."
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"They are very concerned about the conditions of certain individuals when they go on a deportation flight to Colombia. We are addressing their concerns," he said.
Colombia announced on Thursday that it was suspending the agreement due to the cancellation by the US authorities of the first two flights scheduled for May 1 and 2, in addition to alleged "degrading" treatment of the deportees, before and during the flights, such as the use of hand and foot handcuffs and "bad conditions" in detention centers.
However, Fernando García, general director of Colombian Migration, assured on Friday that these flights were going to be resumed "as of next week," reports the EFE news agency.
Mayorkas commented that he had been in Panama only three weeks ago "to hold meetings with our Panamanian and Colombian partners."
"We agreed with Colombia to establish regional processing centers, to create legal pathways for people there, so that they don't have to put their lives in the hands of smugglers. We have a very close relationship with Colombia and other countries throughout the region," he stressed.
The CBP One app and comparisons with Trump
Responding to criticism that the Biden Administration's asylum policy is very similar to that implemented by the Donald Trump administration, Mayorkas responded that "it is not like that."
"You're never going to see the word 'ban' in any of our policies
," he told Telemundo News.
"People who are thinking of coming to the border need to listen: we are giving them safe, legal and orderly pathways (to emigrate). If they come to our southern border, it will be assumed that they are not eligible to apply for asylum and they will have tougher evidence to prove their case."
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These legal channels, which include humanitarian
parole
, go through the CBP One mobile application, which serves as a portal to various services of the United States Customs and Border Protection Office.
The Biden Administration plan is that through a series of questions, the application directs users to the appropriate travel or trade services in correspondence with their case.
But many immigrants have complained that CBP One is faulty or not working for them.
"It's not true that it doesn't work," Mayorkas told Telemundo News when asked about the issue.
"It's not perfect. We've met in the United States with individuals who have taken the migration path. Our staff interviewed them in Mexico to understand the challenges they had with the CBP One app and try to resolve them. We're strengthening the app every day."
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The role of Mexico in the new strategy
Mayorkas dodged a question from Noticias Telemundo about the fact that Mexico is now receiving back non-Mexican immigrants deported from the United States, after the president said in an interview with this network that the United States had no plans to deport them to that nation. non-Mexican immigrants.
"
The immigration challenge is regional
. The southern border of the United States is not the only one facing that challenge," he said.
"The partner countries of the United States recognize that. To address that, we have reached an agreement with Mexico to accept people of other nationalities and help us promote a legal path. It is a matter of security and humanity."
Commenting on whether Mexico would receive any kind of financial aid or the resources to deal with these migrants, Mayorkas declined to go into details about the talks with the neighboring country and the terms of the agreement, insisting that "this is a regional challenge that requires regional solutions ".
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He expanded that the United States is very grateful to Mexico and other countries such as Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, for the relationship it maintains with the country.
He declined to comment on the tragedy at the Ciudad Juárez immigration center
When asked if the recent fire at a migrant detention center in Ciudad Juárez, in which 40 people died, was not sufficient proof that the Mexican authorities were not prepared to receive a high number of deported immigrants, Mayorkas
responded that he did not want to comment on the tragedy, citing the ongoing investigation.
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However, he expanded that "those responsible for the tragedies we see, and we see them every day, are smugglers. That is why we encourage people not to put their lives in the hands of ruthless criminals."
Mayorkas, who is the son of a family of immigrants, stated that his message to those seeking to emigrate to the United States is that the country "is very proud to be a country of opportunities. We are a nation of laws and immigrants."
"It is essential that people respect the law, that they listen to us, that they are not fooled by the lies they are told, that they allow us to enforce those laws so that they can pursue those opportunities in a safe way," he said.
