New Biden Policy Limits Asylum Seeking at US-Mexico Border Amid Surge in Migrant Encounters

Reynosa, Mexico, Tamaulipas, Mexico Mexico
Daily average illegal crossings have exceeded 2,500 since 2019 with record-breaking numbers reaching over 8,000 in December.
Impact of the policy is yet to be seen, but it may lead to a decrease in border arrivals and create a 'wait and see' effect.
Migrants can receive an interview with an asylum officer if they state a fear after crossing illegally.
New policy bars migrants from seeking asylum if they cross the border illegally when daily encounters exceed 2,500.
President Biden signed an executive order limiting asylum seeking at US-Mexico border when daily encounters exceed 2,500.
New Biden Policy Limits Asylum Seeking at US-Mexico Border Amid Surge in Migrant Encounters

In recent days, President Biden signed an executive order that prevents migrants from seeking asylum along the US-Mexico border when crossings surge, effectively closing the US border for nearly all asylum seekers. This new policy comes after a significant increase in migrant encounters at the southern border over the past few years. According to Department of Homeland Security data analyzed by CNN, daily average illegal crossings have exceeded 2,500 since 2019, with record-breaking numbers reaching over 8,000 in December. The surge in migration is attributed to a worldwide increase in migration driven by factors such as the uneven economic recovery from the pandemic and climate change.

The new executive action bars migrants crossing the border illegally from seeking asylum if daily encounters exceed 2,500. Instead, they will be turned away immediately. However, if migrants do state a fear after crossing illegally, they can receive an interview with an asylum officer. Under this new guidance, border agents no longer have to ask migrants if they have a fear of return to their home country.

The impact of the policy is yet to be seen. The number of encounters between ports of entry has been declining every month since January but remains high. It's likely that this rule will lead to a decrease in border arrivals, but it may also create a 'wait and see' effect where crossings rise again once the true impact is more widely understood.

Meanwhile, migrants like Ingrid Orasma from Venezuela continue to arrive at the border despite these new restrictions. Orasma had spent weeks traveling through Mexico with her two young sons, facing abuse and mistreatment from Mexican authorities. The thought of remaining in Mexico any longer was unbearable due to previous experiences of robbery and abandonment.

The Biden administration's policy on asylum seekers has been met with criticism from both sides of the political spectrum. Some argue that it is necessary to deter illegal immigration and manage the border crisis, while others claim it goes against American values and international obligations towards refugees.



Confidence

91%

Doubts
  • Is the surge in migration a result of economic recovery from the pandemic or climate change?
  • What is the true impact of this policy on border arrivals and asylum seekers?

Sources

99%

  • Unique Points
    • President Biden signed an executive order that prevents migrants from seeking asylum along the US-Mexico border when crossings surge, effectively closing the US border for nearly all asylum seekers as of 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday.
    • At least 1,100 men, women and children had arrived at Senda de Vida shelter in Reynosa, Mexico with hopes of reaching the United States.
    • During the height of the migration crisis, Pastor Héctor Silva de Luna welcomed over 7,000 people at his shelter.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

73%

  • Unique Points
    • Ingrid Orasma and her two young sons reached the US-Mexico border but were met with new restrictions on asylum seekers under President Biden’s policy.
    • Orasma had spent weeks traveling through Mexico with her family, facing abuse and mistreatment from Mexican authorities.
    • The Venezuelan woman feared staying in Mexico any longer due to previous experiences of robbery and abandonment.
  • Accuracy
    • ][The number of migrants massing at the border showed signs of stabilizing compared with previous years.][
    • During the height of the migration crisis, Pastor Héctor Silva de Luna welcomed over 7,000 people at his shelter.
    • Border arrests in May 2023 were lower than they had been in May 19 when Donald Trump was President.
  • Deception (30%)
    The article contains emotional manipulation through the use of personal stories and quotes from the subject, Orasma. The author also uses selective reporting by focusing on the negative experiences of Orasma and her family while traveling through Mexico without mentioning any positive experiences or context that may challenge the reader's perception. Additionally, there is a lack of disclosure regarding sources used in the article.
    • But when they finally reached Ciudad Juárez on Tuesday, news began trickling in about Biden’s new policy. U.S. immigration officials would start sending migrants back.
    • The thought of remaining a day longer in Mexico was unbearable.
    • So on Wednesday, as President Biden’s new asylum policy went into effect, the Venezuelan woman and her family headed to the border, hoping immigration officials might still let them in.
  • Fallacies (80%)
    The author uses inflammatory rhetoric by describing Mexican authorities as 'abusing' and 'mistreating' migrants. This is an appeal to emotion and can be considered an informal fallacy.
    • Mexican authorities had robbed the group of friends her family was traveling with, pulled them off trains and abandoned them in the desert.
    • It's been abuse and mistreatment at every step.
  • Bias (80%)
    The author expresses sympathy towards the migrant family and their struggles, but does not explicitly state a bias. However, there are subtle indications of a pro-migrant stance in the article. For example, she describes Mexican authorities as abusing and mistreating migrants and portrays them as helpless victims. She also implies that U.S immigration officials will be more welcoming towards the family than Mexican ones.
    • Mexican authorities had robbed the group of friends her family was traveling with, pulled them off trains and abandoned them in the desert.
      • Orasma figured her family would be treated the same as others who had successfully made long trips through Central America and Mexico and surrendered to officials at the border.
        • The thought of remaining a day longer in Mexico was unbearable... She feared what getting stuck south of the U.S. border might bring next.
        • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication
        • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication

        98%

        • Unique Points
          • A new Biden administration policy addressing illegal southern US border crossings would have been in effect for at least the last three years due to a surge in migrant encounters.
          • The main reason for the rise over the last half-decade is a worldwide increase in migration.
          • Under the new executive action, if migrants do state a fear after crossing illegally, they can receive an interview with an asylum officer, but the threshold they must meet is much higher.
        • Accuracy
          • The surge in record-breaking crossings is attributed to factors such as the uneven economic recovery from the pandemic and climate change.
          • Under a pandemic-era restriction, federal authorities swiftly expelled hundreds of thousands of migrants encountered at the US southern border.
          • To lift the new policy, the daily average needs to drop even lower to less than 1,500 average daily encounters for seven consecutive days between ports of entry.
        • Deception (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication
        • Fallacies (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication
        • Bias (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication
        • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication
        • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication

        79%

        • Unique Points
          • In March 2023, Joe Biden announced an executive order to shut down the border to asylum seekers.
          • An executive order was planned to limit asylum and direct migrants to seek asylum at ports of entry.
          • The number of people arriving at the border will likely increase again in future and sending a strong deterrence message is seen as an important factor.
        • Accuracy
          • The new policy was under discussion since February after a bipartisan bill to restrict asylum failed in the Senate.
          • Border arrests in May 2023 were lower than they had been in May 2019 when Donald Trump was President.
          • The order is notably harsher than the Senate bill, with lower triggers for suspending asylum processing between ports of entry.
        • Deception (30%)
          The article by Jonathan Blitzer contains editorializing and selective reporting. The author presents the Biden administration's decision to issue an executive order on immigration as surprising and politically motivated, despite acknowledging that the number of people arriving at the border has been decreasing for three months. The author also focuses on Republican opposition to Democratic legislation, implying that this was a major factor in Biden's decision. However, he fails to mention that Democrats had previously rejected a thirteen-billion-dollar budget request from Biden for more resources to manage the situation and that record numbers of migrants were arriving at the southern border when negotiations began. This selective reporting creates an incomplete and misleading picture of the situation.
          • The new policy had been under discussion since February, but the dynamic at the border shifted: the number of people arriving started to drop, and has continued to do so for the past three months.
          • The legislative deadlock on Capitol Hill dominated the President’s rhetoric,
          • Republicans refused to fund the D.H.S. budget unless Biden acted to curtail asylum, and now, apparently, the moment of reckoning had arrived.
        • Fallacies (85%)
          The author makes an appeal to authority when quoting Alejandro Mayorkas and Todd Schulte. He also uses inflammatory rhetoric by describing the situation at the border as a 'threshold moment' and 'crisis'. However, he does not make any explicit fallacious arguments himself.
          • ]The number of migrants were arriving in record numbers[.
          • Record numbers of migrants were arriving at the southern border[.
          • The Senate deal marked an inflection point[.
          • Biden, along with Democratic leadership in the Senate, was acknowledging that something had to be done[.
          • Republicans refused to fund the D.H.S. budget unless Biden acted to curtail asylum[.
          • Instead of playing politics with the issue, instead of telling members of Congress to block this legislation[.
          • The legislative deadlock on Capitol Hill dominated the President's rhetoric[.
          • Plans for an executive order to limit asylum were delayed, but never shelved[.
          • The order is notably harsher than the Senate bill[.
        • Bias (90%)
          The author, Jonathan Blitzer, demonstrates a political bias in this article by repeatedly mentioning the Republican position and their obstructionism regarding immigration policy. He also mentions how Republicans asked for the exact bill that Biden is now criticizing and then rejected it. The author seems to be taking a pro-Democratic stance by highlighting the negative impact of Republican actions on immigration policy.
          • Republicans had filed a lawsuit to block the program,
            • Republicans refused to fund the D.H.S. budget unless Biden acted to curtail asylum,
              • The legislative deadlock on Capitol Hill dominated the President’s rhetoric,
              • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
                None Found At Time Of Publication
              • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
                None Found At Time Of Publication

              98%

              • Unique Points
                • David Brooks and Jonathan Capehart are discussing the week in politics, including President Biden’s executive order on asylum seekers and Donald Trump’s vice presidential picks.
                • Trump is currently vetting potential vice presidential candidates.
                • India’s recent elections, where Modi looked like he was cruising away, should have caused concern in Trump world among those who don’t want an authoritarian figure.
              • Accuracy
                • President Biden signed an executive order that prevents migrants from seeking asylum along the US-Mexico border when crossings surge, effectively closing the US border for nearly all asylum seekers.
                • J.D. Vance is not a likely pick due to Trump’s dislike for likability.
              • Deception (100%)
                None Found At Time Of Publication
              • Fallacies (100%)
                None Found At Time Of Publication
              • Bias (100%)
                None Found At Time Of Publication
              • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
                None Found At Time Of Publication
              • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
                None Found At Time Of Publication