The United States allows asylum seekers from Mexico to return to the country Offline America | DW

After the change in direction in immigration policy, the United States government again allows asylum seekers to cross the border. The White House announced that from Friday onwards, the first applicants will come to the United States to attend their court hearings and be permitted to stay there for the duration of their proceedings. The new administration of US President Joe Biden is violating the restrictive immigration policy of his predecessor, Donald Trump.

25,000 asylum seekers are still waiting

Until now, asylum seekers in Mexico have had to await a decision on their claims. As a result, some people have lived in camps south of the US border for more than a year. According to the Department of Homeland Security, around 25,000 people are still affected by the previous policy. However, the United States government has warned immigrants not to come to the border crossings on their own. Asylum-seekers must register and inform them of the time and place of their potential border crossing.

The International Organization for Migration, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) are assisting with implementation. “This is a plan by the American government that has been coordinated and agreed upon with the Mexican government,” said Alberto Cabezas, a spokesman for the International Organization for Migration in Mexico.

Naturalization of eleven million immigrants

It was only Thursday that Democrats submitted a bill to reform the sweeping immigration system that Biden sought. Accordingly, a path must be paved for naturalization among other things for 11 million immigrants without a valid residence permit. The bill states that they can first obtain permanent residency and a work permit, the so-called green card, and then US citizenship over a period of eight years.

There has to be a highway for other immigrants. This was planned, among other things, for so-called dreamers (dreamers) who entered the United States illegally as children with their parents. Former US President Barack Obama protected nearly 700,000 of these young immigrants from deportation by decree in 2012. His successor, Trump, tried to cancel the program.

According to Biden’s reform plans, tens of thousands of people who have lived in the United States for years with temporary protection status and farm workers should also be given the opportunity to gain rapid naturalization.

US President Joe Biden is also building on the policies of his predecessor Barack Obama when it comes to immigration

Legal reform is necessary to reform immigration law – and thus a majority in the House and Senate. Biden Democrats control both houses of Congress, but the majority in the Senate in particular are weak and fragile. Not only Trump’s Republicans, but also some Democrats are skeptical of Biden’s plans.

sti / pg (afp, dpa, rtr, epd)