Developments
The chief of Border Patrol’s San Diego, California sector reported that agents there apprehended migrants 9,513 times over the seven days ending April 23. That is a 6 percent increase over the previous week and a 36 percent increase over two weeks prior. For the first time since the late 1990s, San Diego is almost certainly the busiest of Border Patrol’s nine U.S.-Mexico border sectors.
Volunteers providing humanitarian aid to asylum seekers waiting in open-air sites along the California border say that numbers are increasing there; donors are encouraged to contribute needed items on an Amazon wishlist.
- “Chief Patrol Agent Patricia D. Mcgurk-Daniel @Usbpchiefsdc on Twitter” (Twitter, April 24, 2024).
Five centrist Democrats who had voted last Saturday for a very strict Republican-led border bill issued a statement yesterday doubling down on their position. The Democrats called on President Biden to reinstate the “Remain in Mexico” policy and to begin Title 42-style expulsions of asylum seekers, while full-throatedly endorsing the Border Patrol union’s hardline stance on border security.
- Andrew Solender, “Centrist Democrats Want to Refocus on Border Security” (Axios, April 24, 2024).
- “Andrew Solender @AndrewSolender on Twitter“ (Twitter, April 24, 2024).
In Mexico’s northern border state of Chihuahua, national guardsmen detained 150 Central American migrants who were staying in a hotel in the state capital. In Ciudad Juárez—Chihuahua’s largest city, across from El Paso—guardsmen, immigration agents, and municipal police carried out an operation to prevent 400 migrants who had arrived atop a cargo train from reaching the borderline.
- Julian Resendiz, “Hundreds of Migrants on Trains Arrive at el Paso-Juarez Border” (Border Report, April 24, 2024).
- Jesus Estrada, “Detienen en Chihuahua a 150 Centroamericanos” (La Jornada (Mexico), April 24, 2024).
The Biden administration has paused court-ordered remediation of environmental damage caused by Trump-era border wall construction, citing litigation in a separate case involving the state of Texas. The Sierra Club, Southern Border Communities Coalition, and ACLU announced yesterday that they are seeking to intervene in the Texas case in order to restart remediation projects.
- “Sierra Club, Southern Border Communities Coalition, and Aclu Act to Protect Border Wall Remediation Settlement Amid Texas Court Decision” (Southern Border Communities Coalition, April 24, 2024).
Analyses and Feature Stories
The National Immigration Forum and other centrist groups (Niskanen Center, Hispanic Leadership Fund, Mormon Women for Ethical Government, State Business Executives, Association of Equipment Manufacturers, Border Perspective) published a proposed “border security and management framework” document. It calls for creating a corps of asylum officers to adjudicate most protection claims at the border in less than two months, along with increased resources for U.S. border security agencies and drug interdiction technologies.
- “Coalition Border Security & Management Framework” (National Immigration Forum, April 24, 2024).
- Sandra Sanchez, “Groups Release ‘Pragmatic’ Proposal for Border Security Framework Plan” (Border Report, April 24, 2024).
CalMatters reported on lengthening wait times at the San Ysidro port of entry south of San Diego, amid increased cross-border traffic and longstanding CBP Field Operations staffing and infrastructure deficiencies.
- Wendy Fry, “Long Border Waits” (CalMatters, LAist, April 24, 2024).
Wait times for cargo at the busy commercial port of entry in Laredo, Texas have also been worsening, though Mexican government software glitches seem to be much of the cause.
- Sandra Sanchez, “Laredo Officials Vow to Better Tame Truck Backlog on Border Roadways” (Border Report, April 24, 2024).
On the Right
- John Binder, “Joe Biden’s Latest Billions for Ukraine Could Build Entire U.S. Border Wall” (Breitbart, April 24, 2024).
- Jordan Boyd, “Biden’s Trafficking Czar Ignores Human Trafficking on U.S. Border” (The Federalist, April 24, 2024).