Written by Brandon Lee Romo
While the majority of Americans continue to worry about their jobs, health, and education in the midst of the pandemic, Joe Biden has made clear his priorities are elsewhere. With an aim to reverse Donald Trump’s immigration policies, Joe Biden has begun to take action toward his pathway to granting citizenship for over 11 million illegal immigrants and 25,000 asylum seekers.
“This is an important part of our President Biden’s commitment to restoring humane and orderly processing,” said DHS officials.
Unfortunately, many do not see the potential harm and inhumanity in allowing such a great influx of people into the country at this time. The majority of Americans have not been able to go back to work, school, or even get vaccinated. Allowing so many people into the country at once is a recipe to further spread the virus just when we thought we were starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
The first group of asylum seekers entered the country on February 19th through the U.S.- Mexico border in San Ysidro, making the effects of this act “too close to home” for some San Diego residents.
The migrants were tested for COVID-19 before being allowed to enter and were also provided with masks. They are now being held in hotels to quarantine. After the quarantine period is over, they will be sent to their final destinations via plane or bus, according to Michael Hopkins, chief executive officer of Jewish Family Service of San Diego.
The migrants were given a day to return for their court hearing, but immigration attorney Yunuen Mora says that not much else is known about the process at this time.
This change from the Biden Administration comes at a time where Americans have pleaded to Biden and Congress to pass a new stimulus package. Instead, our tax dollars will go toward administering thousands of extra COVID-19 tests and providing for migrants in other ways.
In December 2020, the unemployment rate in San Diego County hit 8%, an increase of 2.4% from the prior month. With unemployment rising, and jobs being harder to find due to the pandemic, it is likely that those trends will continue as Biden focuses on increasing immigration. It is also possible that we will see spikes in crime rates as even more people will be without adequate life necessities.
It is time for the Biden Administration to stop obsessing over reversing Donald Trump’s policies and start assisting the American people in this difficult time.
Photo via NBC
