WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration will open migration centers in Guatemala and Colombia for asylum seekers heading to the U.S.-Mexico border, in a bid to slow what’s expected to be a surge of migrants seeking to cross as pandemic-era immigration restrictions end, U.S. officials said Thursday.
The migration centers are part of an intense effort to try to prevent thousands of people from making the often-dangerous journey to the southern border when the restrictions end May 11.
But it is unclear whether the processing centers and other measures, including expedited processing for asylum seekers and crackdowns on human smuggling networks, will do much to slow the tide of migrants fleeing from countries marred by political and economic strife.
The Biden administration, under attack by Republicans eager to paint the border as wide open under his leadership, has repeatedly warned that the end of the pandemic-era immigration restrictions does not mean that migrants should try to come to the U.S. as they’ve also sought to open other avenues for migration.
Immigration has vexed Biden throughout his presidency, with top GOP leaders hammering him as soft on border security and immigrant advocates, saying he’s abandoning humanitarian efforts with stricter measures meant to keep migrants from coming illegally.
The topic isn’t going away, as he announces a 2024 reelection reelection bid, Biden is trying to strike a balance that could be difficult to achieve, particularly if crowds of migrants end up in border facilities as the restrictions end. The administration has also repeatedly pointed to Congress, saying it has been unable to come to an agreement on comprehensive immigration reform.
In a call with reporters, three senior administration officials detailed the migration centers, as well as other steps the administration was taking.
So far, centers will be located inColombia and Guatemala, with other countries to be announced in the coming weeks, the officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity to reporters ahead of the public announcement.
Prospective migrants would be able to go to the centers instead of coming to the border and get information on applying to become a refugee or other immigration options to either the United States or other countries.
The centers would be run by international organizations. Prospective migrants would be able to make an appointment on their phone to visit one of the centers, according to a fact sheet also released by the Department of Homeland Security.
The immigration restrictions date back to the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic when the Trump administration invoked a rule — known as Title 42 — which allowed border officials to quickly expel migrants without letting them apply for asylum.
Since March 2020, migrants have been expelled from the country more than 2.8 million times using Title 42.