The Biden administration is setting up migrant processing centers to screen and potentially green-light migrants to come to the U.S. using a variety of legal pathways, while also stiffening penalties for illegal entry at the southern border -- as part of a strategy to discourage migrants from entering the U.S. illegally after the Title 42 public health order expires next month.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced a series of moves to broaden access to legal refugee, parole and employment pathways while also deterring illegal entry at the border. It comes ahead of the expiration of Title 42 – a COVID-era order that allows for the rapid expulsion of migrants at the border. That expiration of May 11 is expected to be followed by a significant surge of migration at the border.
‘This is a hemispheric challenge that demands hemispheric solutions," Mayorkas said at a press conference. "Working with our neighbors in the region, we can and will reduce the number of migrants who reach our southern border."
