Mass migration
as a travel business
US Border Issues
US border security proposals and disagreements
(tentative interim comments, 21 April, 2024)
In response to a continuing surge in asylum seekers crossing
the US southern border legally and illegally since 2020 (see here and here), US House Republicans insisted that the Senate's fall 2023 overseas military aid bill include measures for stricter US border
control. However, the border-related provisions of the package later passed by the Senate were then rejected by the House speaker as inadequate, and the House thus never voted on that bill.
Attempts of the Senate and House, in early 2024, to then pass a separate border security bill failed due to disagreements between the two chambers, the two parties, and differing factions of
Republicans, and to the pressures of the ensuing 2024 election cycle. On April 2024, facing the pressure of otherwise being "discharged" from handling the military aid bills, or replaced
entirely, the House Speaker (Johnson) organized votes on separate foreign military assistance packages for Ukraine, Israel, and the Pacific area, which all passed quickly with large majorities.
In a fourth decision that day, however, the House (apparently) voted not to vote on a "slimmed down" border security bill (Washington Examiner, and Wall St Journal reports).
US-Mexico migration deal (Guardian, 7 May, 2023)
Mexico president Obrador agreed with US president Biden that Mexico will take up to 30,000 migrants from Venezuela, Haiti, Cuba and Nicaragua turned back at the US-Mexico border.
The "Title 42" policy of the US, whereby migrants were summarily turned back, expires this month.
US and Canada close Perry Mills / Roxham Road border loophole
(Vermont Public Radio, 27 March 2023). Asyulm seekers (notably Haitians, Afghans), now including those at unofficial crossings, must apply in 1st country entered; undocumented border-crossers to be turned back .
Talking tough and passing the buck
Economist, 27 August, 2022
"Talking tough on
immigration is good politics in Texas. But in New York, it is equally facile to talk tough about those who talk tough about immigration, while basking in one's own compassion for those trying to
enter Texas. With some 11m jobs unfilled in America this is a good moment for a long-deferred compromise on immigration..But that outcome would antagnoise extremists on both sides, and solve a
problem that national politicians would rather campaign on." (Cartoon by KAL).
Texas and Arizona busing southern border migrants to Washington DC (Forbes, July, 2022) Texas pays over $1400 per migrant bused to Washington (KXAS-TV).
US-Mexico illegal-crossing border surge of 2020-21
(BBC, 20 March, 2021)
Last updated 21 April, 2024