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We are finally seeing positive movement from the Biden administration in their efforts to improve the historically high delays in immigration among other problems. On April 10, 2022, the Biden administration sent out a memo directing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lawyers to settle or drop low-priority immigration cases from immigration court dockets. This move will potentially clear hundreds of thousands of deportation and asylum cases pending before immigration courts across the country and will help reduce the current backlog of 1.7 million cases. It is expected that an estimated 700,000 low-priority cases (around 41 percent of the backlog) will instantly be eliminated by ICE officials.
The timing of this is significant because it is expected that a massive influx of asylum cases will be coming to the U.S. as a result of the recent announcement from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to end the controversial Title 42 protocol on May 23. This will finally allow unrestricted entry into the U.S. as it relates to the pandemic. The CDC cited lower levels of covid-19 transmission in the U.S., as well as the effectiveness of protective measures in place and higher vaccination rates among residents and citizens of the U.S. Title 42, will end gradually in order to provide the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) enough time to increase protective measures at the border and to provide vaccines to migrants. Although many Immigrant advocates are looking forward to the end of Title 42, many politicians on both sides of the aisle are concerned that the increase of unauthorized crossings without Title 42 will overwhelm the border and distract officers from addressing drug trafficking and other security priorities.
Another anticipated source of asylum requests is expected as a result of the ongoing deterioration of democracy and an increase in corruption in Central America according to the Biden administration’s special envoy for the Northern Triangle region. Within the span of two weeks, serious failings have been occurring to democracy in Central America such as the recent threats to a prominent anti-corruption judge, Erika Aifá, in Guatemala who went into exile due to death threats against her life. She has been presiding over cases involving Guatemalan officials as well as the country’s president. In El Salvador, the president recently made strict arrests in response to a spike in homicides in the country and it is expected that his heavy-handed enforcement will drive citizens out of the country and into the U.S. The third country making up the Northern Triangle is Honduras. Their former President is currently facing extradition to the U.S. due to his involvement with drug cartels and the trafficking of cocaine to the U.S. All of these problems are expected to cause a significant rise in illegal migration to the U.S. at the southern border.
The problems of migration into the U.S. at the southern border are not limited to citizens of the Northern Triangle. Recently, large numbers of Ukrainians have been seeking entry at the U.S.-Mexico border, but they are stuck in legal limbo as a result of conflicting policies of the Biden administration. Recently Biden announced the plan to allow 100,000 Ukrainian refugees into the U.S. yet the U.S.-Mexico border remains closed to asylum-seekers and refugees. A recent memo from DHS told border officials that Ukrainians may be allowed into the U.S. on a case-by-case basis but many Ukrainians are not receiving the help they were expecting at the southern border. Hopefully, the government can coordinate its efforts in order to help these families soon.
If you or your family struggling with the results of the conflict in Ukraine or have family dealing with problems in another country that may allow you to apply for asylum, our office can help. Please call our office today for a consultation at +1 888 589 2228 or use the following link to schedule one online: https://marvinlawoffice.com/schedule-a-consultation/.
