The United States is witnessing an alarming upward trend in migrants crossing its borders, with the numbers from remote nations like China and Afghanistan skyrocketing over a whopping 1000% from fiscal years 2022 to 2023, as disclosed by Raul Ortiz, the Chief of Border Patrol.
Ortiz took to social media to highlight the staggering influx of migrants from other nations too, namely Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Vietnam, Paraguay, Mauritania, Djibouti, and the Dominican Republic. A remarkable shift is seen in encounters with migrants hailing from China, with figures soaring from 342 in 2021 to 1,987 the next year, and then taking an extraordinary leap to 9,753 within the first seven months of fiscal 2023.
We have seen an increase of over 1000% from some countries. While we work diligently to repatriate migrants from these countries, we still have challenges with countries’ governments to get working programs in place to repatriate all those we apprehend. pic.twitter.com/w9aVwdqkZb
— Chief Raul Ortiz (@USBPChief) June 9, 2023
Ever since the Taliban resumed power following the U.S. pullout, the Border Patrol has observed a surge in Afghan migrants crossing into U.S. territory. Moreover, over 150,000 special immigrant visa requests have been lodged from Afghanistan. During President Joe Biden’s tenure that started in 2021, the U.S. has seen nearly 1.5 million unauthorized migrant “gotaways”. This contrasts sharply with the total of 415,000 recorded during 2018-2020 under the Trump administration.
In response to this growing crisis, the Biden administration recently augmented the number of foreign nationals allowed entry through the CBP One app, a digital platform for scheduling asylum meetings, to 40,000 monthly. Over the past four months, this app has enabled roughly 80,000 foreign individuals to gain entry into the U.S.
These unprecedented migrant numbers are straining resources across several cities. Chicago’s government, for example, has controversially approved a $51 million package to accommodate many of the newly arrived foreign nationals. In a similar vein, New York City has declared that 50 religious sites will serve as temporary shelters. Mayor Eric Adams has floated the idea of urging private citizens to offer accommodation. “My vision is to extend this initiative from faith-based venues to private homes,” Adams commented.
Adams has launched legal action against 30 counties in New York that declined to host foreign nationals, branding their actions as instances of “xenophobic bigotry.”
Public opinion reflects concern about this situation, with a CBS News poll indicating a 63% disapproval rate regarding Biden’s management of the U.S. border, while only 37% expressed their approval.
