17th March, 2021
Majority of migrants crossing the border with the U.S. are immediately sent back, so the better option for them would be to apply for asylum from home countries and check whether they qualify before coming over.
U.S. President Joe Biden said this in an interview with ABC News on Wednesday.
“Let’s get something straight though. The vast majority of people crossing the border are being sent back. Immediately sent back,” Biden replied after being asked if he welcomes migrants in the US.
According to Biden, the new administration prioritises setting an organisational structure that would allow to house unaccompanied children and help them find their parents, creating facilities “in place” for asylum applications and otherwise taking control of “the mess that was inherited.”
“I can say quite clearly — don’t come over. And the process of getting set up, and it’s not going to take a whole long time, is to be able to apply for asylum in place.
“So don’t leave your town or city or community.
“We are going to make sure we have facilities in those cities and towns run by DHS (Department of Homeland Security) and also access with the HHS, Health and Human Services, to say you can apply for asylum from where you are right now,” Biden stressed.
However, as the president told ABC News, the main goal of the U.S. in handling the immigration crisis is to address the root causes of mass migration — violence, natural disasters, and poor economic conditions in the home countries.
Biden has consistently criticised U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration’s hardline policies, especially the controversial “zero tolerance” policy under which federal authorities separated children from their families after they illegally cross the border.
Parents were sent to federal jails to await their hearing, while children stayed in shelters operated by the Department of Health and Human Services.
The policy has been reviewed after receiving massive backlash, but hundreds of migrant children reportedly still remain separated from their families.