Migrants on the Rio Grande between the US and Mexico, May 2023 (Joe Raedle/Getty)
On Thursday, Title 42 — the Coronavirus-era public health policy used to limit entry of migrants and asylum seekers into the US from Mexico — expired.
With estimates of 10,000 migrants seeking admission into the US each day, I spoke with the World Today program of China’s State broadcaster CGTN.
Listen to Discussion from 43:55
In the 10-minute conversation, I try to get beyond superficial politics by looking at the context of the Trump Administration’s damage of the US immigration system. Then I outline the steps the Biden Administration is likely to implement, some of which are similar to Trump-era policies.
And I get to the fundamental: until there is a pragmatic approach encompassing both the humanitarian and security perspectives, immigration — and thus migrants and asylum seekers — will continue to be exploited by unscrupulous, loud politicians and media outlets.
We’ve been at an ‘inflection point’ over immigration for decades, since I was a young man.
The US has been seen as a place of opportunity for many people. There are reasons why people have wanted to move out of their countries — turmoil, economic deprivation, and the pandemic.
Now the ‘inflection point’ for the Biden Administration is, “Can you get a system fit for purpose with the balance between security and the humanitarian?”
For these are not invaders. These are not evil people. These are people who simply want to be part of the US.
They don’t want to be a part of the US. They’d rather stay in their home countries. The conditions in their homelands are worse than the conditions in the US. They’re coming to the US because they’re desperate.