New reports suggest the Biden administration is weighing measures that would force migrants who have illegally entered through the U.S. southern border to remain in border states.
For more than a year now, border state officials have been shipping migrants across to country to states and locales that previously prided themselves as “sanctuary” jurisdictions. The efforts were undertaken to relieve their towns — which, in many cases, have few resources to handle a massive migrant crisis — and share the burden with other cities whose leaders stated publicly they were pro-migrant.
As cities like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and Martha’s Vineyard have felt the burden imposed on border states, they have been increasingly reluctant to maintain their sanctuary status and want the migrant flow to their areas stopped.
Texas has bused over 35,000 migrants to self-declared sanctuary cities.
Over 11,300 to DC
Over 13,300 to NYC
Over 6,700 to Chicago
Over 2,600 to Philadelphia
Over 1,000 to Denver
Over 480 to LAOur busing mission provides critical relief to overwhelmed Texas border towns.
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) September 5, 2023
Just days ago, a video went viral featuring New York City Mayor Eric Adams warning that the migrant crisis will destroy his city. The remarks were made during a townhall in Manhattan, during which Adams also pleaded for more federal resources to address the issue.
Eric Adams in 2021: NYC will remain a sanctuary city under an Adams administration
Eric Adams in 2023: Migrant crisis 'will destroy New York City'
The consequences for rolling out the welcome mat.
— Andrew Pollack (@AndrewPollackFL) September 7, 2023
During the same week, black residents of Chicago held a rally to speak out against the influx of migrants into the city, saying the surge would destroy their neighborhoods and further silence their voices.
Chicago residents worry that migrants will eventually dilute the black vote
“Politically, having over 500 people in our community will completely wipe out any interests we have.”
They will “destroy our neighborhood and silence our voices even further.”
pic.twitter.com/9vSsZkQOUE— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) September 8, 2023
Even as the crisis expands to communities headed by members of his own party, rather than stop the flow of illegal aliens into the U.S., President Joe Biden is reportedly considering ways to force migrants to remain in border states, which are largely run by his political enemies.
Officials who requested anonymity told the LA Times that the Biden administration is “considering forcing some migrant families who enter the country without authorization to remain near the border in Texas while awaiting asylum screening, effectively limiting their ability to travel within the United States.”
The officials say the idea is specifically meant to address the recent increases in the numbers of migrant families crossing the southern border.
Under the plan, certain migrant families would be forced “to remain in Texas — or possibly other border states — by tracking their location through GPS monitoring devices, such as ankle bracelets.”
The proposal is similar to a Trump-era policy that forced migrants to remain in Mexico while their asylum cases were adjudicated, a policy vehemently challenged by the Biden administration, which ultimately had the U.S. Supreme Court side with it in a ruling forcing an end to the program.
According to figures from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency (CBP), there were more than 60,000 familial border encounters in the month of July. The official number for August has not yet been released, but the Washington Post reported it was more than 91,000, an all-time high.
News of the Remain in Texas policy also comes as federal officials try to force the state to remove barriers placed in the Rio Grande to stem the flow of illegal aliens crossing the river into the U.S.
