Videos show hundreds of migrants pour across the US southern border — undeterred by Biden ‘crackdown’
Migrants continue to pour across the southern border of the US in groups of hundreds despite the Biden administration’s latest ‘crackdown’.
Video taken Thursday by The Post shows hundreds of migrants from mainly China and Turkey still crossing the border unhindered into California, then rounded up by Border Patrol.
In rural Texas Wednesday, another video obtained by The Post shows scores of migrants from Central and South America crossing onto private land in Normandy, Texas, and being rounded up by state troopers.
The migrants crossing appeared undeterred by Biden’s executive order, which went into place Wednesday and shuts down the processing of new asylum claims for migrants.
The order will only be lifted once the number of crossings averages 1,500 for seven consecutive days.
However, Border Patrol agents still apprehended 4,000 illegal migrants on Thursday alone at the southern border and the agency had 10,000 individuals in custody that day, agency sources told The Post.
Although the executive order says asylum applications are halted, NBC reported migrants will still be screened by asylum officers “but under a higher standard than what’s currently in place.”
If the migrants pass that threshold, they will still be allowed into the US to pursue “other forms of humanitarian protection,” according to the outlet.
Various pathways into the US which remain available include through using the CBPOne app and parole programs for those from certain countries such as Venezuela, Nicaragua, Haiti and Cuba. However, the government’s rules are that applications for both need to be pre-arranged before attempting to cross into the US.
The restrictions also do not apply to unaccompanied children, people with acute medical conditions or those “fleeing imminent harm.”
Migrants in the Mexican border towns of Mexicali and Ciudad Juárez have already been turned away by officers, according to The New York Times.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the purpose of the order is “to deter irregular migration,” effectively telling migrants to stay away from the border.
However Border Patrol is still overwhelmed. The processing center in San Diego County — which has been the top area in the US for illegal crossings since April — reached 237% capacity Thursday, holding roughly 2,300 migrants in facilities meant for 1,000, according to internal data.
Various outlets have reported official deportations under the new order have taken place, but figures were not publicly made available on Friday.
It is also unclear how the Biden admin plans to handle the thousands of people it now claims will be removed from the US.
An agreement with Mexico on with deportations means the country will take back a certain number of migrants from the US to be returned to Central America, Cuba, Haiti and Venezuela.
However, Mexico will not accept Citizens from countries such as China, India, Turkey or any others outside of the Americas, tens of thousands of whom have arrived at the southern border in recent months.
Citizens of China are already particularly hard to deport as the country doesn’t accept regular deportation flights from the US and is slow to issue travel papers for those marked for deportation.
Border officers have encountered 27,000 Chinese citizens at the border since October — just 89 have been deported in that time.
Notes to border agents from the Department of Homeland Security, seen by The Post, also explain how Chinese citizens can still be processed into the US under the new rules of the Executive Order.
One border agent recently told The Post they expect mass releases of illegal migrants to continue.
“I have my doubts about whether the executive order will do a whole lot. It sounds like Mexico is only going to be taking back individuals from a handful of countries.
“The rest will be processed and handed over to ICE. However, if there isn’t detention space or repatriation flights, they’re just going to get released, which is the reason this whole mess exists in the first place,” the source said.
What to know about the Biden administration's "crackdown" on the border:
- President Biden announced an executive order that would shut down the US-Mexico border if illegal crossings exceed 2,500 for seven consecutive days.
- The order prevents migrants from applying for asylum during the shutdown period, but the restrictions will be lifted once crossings average 1,500 per day for seven straight days.
- Critics have pointed out that the border “crackdown” would still allow 1.8 million asylum seekers into the county if fully enforced.
- Border Patrol agents told The Post that the Biden administration plan is “too little, too late.”
“People are going to figure out exactly what they need to do or say to game the system. I don’t blame them. I blame the system that allows it to happen. Don’t hate the player, hate the game.”
In January, President Biden said he “had done all I can do” and required Congress to pass border legislation.
“Just give me the power. I’ve asked from the very day I got into office,” he said at the time. “Give me the Border Patrol, give me the people, the judges — give me the people who can stop this and make it work right.”
Biden’s latest executive order comes just months ahead of the November election as polls consistently show that American voters are increasingly concerned with illegal immigration.
