The Biden administration has allocated over $40 million for immigration-related projects in Latin American countries to address the root causes of illegal immigration.
This comes as the southern border crossings have reached record highs.
The projects aim to decrease illegal immigration, but critics argue that the surge is due to the administration’s policies. (Trending: U.S. State Passes Personal Pronoun Ban)
The funding includes initiatives in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Haiti.
The total aid for Latin American countries in fiscal year 2023 was over $1.7 billion.
“The root cause of the surge of illegal immigration is the policies that the Biden administration put in place from day one, and continue to implement in spite of the fact that we’re seeing record numbers of people coming across the border. We seem to break a new record almost every month,” Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)’s Ira Mehlman said.
“The project aims to mitigate irregular migration from El Salvador by increasing equitable access to formal educational opportunities for potential migrants and returnees to engender hope, prosperity, and positive self-worth in their lives,” the project description says.
“Since the end of August 2021, there are thousands of Haitians assembling in makeshift sites on the Mexican side of the border to wait while deciding whether to attempt entry into the U.S. carrying their belongings, the migrants have been traversing the ankle-deep river between Mexico and Texas. As of 17 September, there were about 13,700 new arrivals in Del Rio City,” USAID stated.
“The International Organization of Migration (IOM) aims to support the improvement of reception facilities to better welcome migrants upon their return to Haiti, both in Port-Au-Prince and Cap-Haitian. This will enable key stakeholders involved in migrant assistance to be prepared for repatriations and stand ready to welcome migrants even when informed in a very short notice,” USAID added.
Critics argue that creating deterrence and removing incentives for illegal entry should be the top priority.
“The number one priority actually does not entail money, it is creating deterrence. The people who are coming are coming for rational reasons. They understand that if they get to the border there is very, very high probability that they will be allowed to remain here indefinitely. We need to change that perception,” Mehlman said.
House Republicans have called for the administration to address the crisis and secure the border.
“We were shown firsthand how the President’s reckless open-border policies are devastating communities across the state,” House Speaker Mike Johnson stated.
“The Biden Administration is showing once again it is obviously their deliberate strategy to keep the border open and continue the chaos and humanitarian crisis their policies have created.”
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