Written by Justin Culetu
After only a few weeks of Joe Biden’s presidency, he and his administration continue to neglect solving the prolific issues of the pandemic and unemployment on the homefront, which the president claimed he would fix.
Last week, Biden’s team announced that they will be reversing former President Trump’s Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), ultimately allowing 25,000 asylum seekers in Mexico to cross the border during an ongoing pandemic.
The MPP policy went into effect in January of 2019 and ordered asylum seekers to remain in Mexico while their requests were processed by U.S immigration courts. This Friday, February 19, the policy will be reversed, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
“As President Biden has made clear, the U.S. government is committed to rebuilding a safe, orderly, and humane immigration system,” Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement. “This latest action is another step in our commitment to reform immigration policies that do not align with our nation’s values.”
Unfortunately, this administration refuses to address an internal issue that truly does not align with our nation’s values: forcing hard working Americans to stay home and financially suffer while the government neglects the necessity to safely reopen the economy.
The DHS announced their plan in the statement, broadly outlining qualifications for the asylum seekers, as well as meager COVID-19 protocols. The Biden administration estimates 25,000 individuals enrolled in the protocol have active cases. Before entering the U.S, those processed under the MPP change will be tested for coronavirus, but it is unknown what happens if those tests come back positive.
Multiple family services and charities on the border have helped temporarily house the asylum seekers in large quantities. Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley in Texas have reported 50 to 80 adults and children arriving daily since January 27th. The Jewish Family Service of San Diego provided service for 191 asylum seekers in the first ten days of February.
While the country is nearing a full year of coronavirus restrictions, our newly elected president fails to understand the needs of his constituents. Allowing tens of thousands of asylum seekers to enter the country only makes it easier for COVID-19 to be spread. On top of that, the country is already struggling financially. Biden’s plan requires administering thousands of COVID-19 tests and is a huge waste of tax dollars that should be allocated towards helping the out-of-work individuals and families who are US citizens. Instead of pushing Congress to approve a new stimulus package for the American people, Biden is focused on reversing any Trump-era policies, regardless of the damage that will do to the country. Trump pushed an America First agenda, and by working to reverse Trump’s policies, Biden has made it clear that he is putting America and American citizens last.
Photo via the Assicated Press
