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In a complete reversal of policy, the Biden administration announced its decision to extend the controversial US-Mexico border wall and resume Venezuela deportations of migrants.

The dramatic moves reflect the growing political pressure to address the immigration crisis currently gripping the nation.

As the number of immigrants residing in the US without legal documentation surges to an estimated 11 million, President Joe Biden finds himself navigating treacherous waters. And sagging approval ratings and mounting calls for action seem to be driving the u-turn policy.

Southern Border Crisis Now Leading to Surge in U.S. Drugs - USA Herald

Immigration Crisis: Massive Illegal Crossings at US-Mexico Border - USA Herald

Venezuela Deportations

Washington’s announcement came on October 5th, two weeks after Biden extended temporary legal status to an estimated 472,000 Venezuelans living in the United States. The announcement cited “extraordinary” circumstances. And that “the conditions in their home country prevent their safe return”.

The Venezuela deportations are front-and-center with migrant crisis taking center stage in recent months. The largest single group encountered at the US-Mexico border arrived last month. Border Patrol agents apprehended over 200,000 individuals attempting to cross the border illegally in September. And it marked the highest total in 2023.

A senior U.S. Customs and Border Protection official has warned that this figure is expected to remain high and even increase. It has become an issue too significant to ignore.

The relentless waves of migrants, refugees, and asylum-seekers arriving at the border have exacerbated President Biden's already challenged approval ratings as the nation heads into an election year.

The Texas and Trump Connection

For more than a year, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has taken matters into his own hands by busing migrants from the southern US border to cities like New York, Washington, and Chicago, sparking outrage from Democratic officials in these urban centers.

President Biden's initial actions upon taking office in January 2021 promised a complete departure from the border wall construction strategy of his predecessor, Donald Trump. 

However, Thursday's announcement emphasized that the funding allocated during Trump's term in 2019 had to be spent as required by law.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas claims that there was "no new Administration policy with respect to border walls" and reaffirmed that the Biden administration had consistently maintained that a border wall was not the answer to the immigration issue.