Biden plan expels more migrants entering U.S. illegally, expands asylum applications

Amna Nawaz:

The White House today unveiled a new immigration plan that will increase expulsions at the U.S.-Mexico border. The plan cracks down on those who enter the country illegally, but also allows 30,000 migrants from Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Haiti to enter the country each month as part of a humanitarian parole program.

The president and his homeland security secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, spoke today.

Joe Biden, President of the United States: The actions we're announcing today will make things better, will make things better, but will not fix the border problem completely. There's more that has to be done.

Alejandro Mayorkas, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security: If individuals from these countries attempt to cross the U.S. border without authorization or the Mexico or Panama borders, after today, they will not be eligible for this new legal pathway.

So, the message is clear. Individuals should stay where they are and apply for these processes from there.

Amna Nawaz:

The announcement comes ahead of Biden's plans to travel to the border city of El Paso on Sunday.

Joining me now is Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service.

Krish, welcome back. Thanks for joining us.

As you well know, the Biden administration is grappling with record numbers at the U.S. Southern border. You heard President Biden say these actions will make it better. Do you agree?

Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, President and CEO, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service: It's a mixed bag.

Expanding pathways at a time of unprecedented global need is certainly a worthwhile effort. So, we're grateful to see the expanded use of humanitarian parole, but we can't crack open a door as we're slamming — or crack open a window are we're slamming the door.

And that's what today's announcement feels like, because, yes, the administration is allowing a very limited number of Nicaraguans, Haitians and Cubans to apply for humanitarian parole, but it's also as the White House expands the use of the Trump era Title 42. And migrants from these three countries would face immediate expulsion.

Amna Nawaz:

But Title 42 is something they have been trying to end, right. But they have been forced to keep it in place under a Supreme Court ruling. So what do you suggest they do? They can't defy the Supreme Court, right?

Krish O’Mara Vignarajah:

That's right. But it does feel disjointed.

Whether you compare what President Biden said as a candidate vs. what he's done as president, or even the fact that at the time when the administration is fighting Title 42's use in court, they're also expanding it. We saw the announcement with Venezuelans and then today's announcement.

Our point is, look, we have a refugee resettlement system. Humanitarian parole is a temporary Band-Aid. These are both under the president — the president's power, and he should be implementing them. But we can't see a purported public health rule that the administration doesn't back being expanded. And that's what the administration did today.

Amna Nawaz:

If you step back from these specific actions, and even just looking at it through the lens of what happens at the border, immigration more broadly, this was the president's really first big speech on this major topic.

And when you mention some of the promises he made as a candidate. When you look at what's been done so far by the administration, how well has the administration lived up to some of those promises?

Krish O’Mara Vignarajah:

We have been really grateful for the administration's global humanitarian leadership when it has come to resettling Afghans, the Ukrainian refugee crisis.

But the truth is, in terms of actually meeting their pledge, I think there's still room for improvement. Even in this announcement, first, the administration had a message of, don't come to migrants. This seems like the 2.0 version, which is the carrot and stick approach. But that approach really only works when people have a choice to choose the carrot before they face the stick.

And I think that there are some parts of the announcement today that are not tethered in reality. We're talking about migrants who are fleeing for their lives. And so the idea of having an orderly process, yes, of course, there are immigration organizations like us that stand by the need to create pathways, but we can't create systems that no one can access.

And that's my fear.

Amna Nawaz:

Everyone agrees, Krish, that the immigration system is antiquated and it is broken, and it will require congressional action to really fix it in a meaningful way.

So, from the administration's perspective, I guess, when you look at what President Biden could do immediately, given his own power, what could they do? What else could they be doing right now to try to alleviate some of the pressure?

Krish O’Mara Vignarajah:

There's announcements, and there's execution.

So, today's announcement, for example, the White House indicated that they will increase the ceiling of refugees that can be admitted to 20,000. But, both this year and last year, the White House has only been able to resettle a maximum of 2,500. So that's just an example of, does the administration prioritize the rebuilding or the building of the infrastructure?

Do they want to work to create pathways that are permanent, instead of the temporary Band-Aids which have been humanitarian parole? And do we want to have a system that doesn't just privilege certain nationalities or privilege people who have a U.S. sponsor? Or do we want to make sure that people who are fleeing for their lives because of war, violence, persecution have access to asylum, which is protected under U.S. and international law?

And so our point is that, yes, we need to create these pathways, but we also have to allow for people who are fleeing for their lives. We're talking about women, families, children who are coming to our border. They can't be summarily expelled. And so we believe that America is a nation great enough that we can walk and chew gum.

Amna Nawaz:

Immigration is certainly something we're going to be hearing a lot more about, especially as the president makes a trip there this weekend.

That is Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service.

Thank you.

Krish O’Mara Vignarajah:

Thanks for having me.