Multiple news sources report that President Biden is considering implementing executive action to try to close the border between the United States and Mexico, even to asylum seekers. It would be an extreme measure and a violation of the 1980 Refugee Act and the country's international obligation to protect those fleeing persecution. Only one other president, Donald Trump, has blatantly failed to fulfill that obligation before. Using the COVID-19 pandemic as a pretext, Trump invoked Title 42 of the US Code, which allowed him to stop migration in the name of public health.
Biden, who came into office harshly criticizing his predecessor's anti-immigrant policies, now appears poised to revive them. Administration sources admit the president's border plans are driven by politics, the belief that the immigration situation is “an electoral liability.”
This vision is no surprise. We have been fed the narrative that the border is in crisis, overwhelmed by unprecedented numbers of immigrants who pose a serious danger to the health and security of the nation. But that narrative is false: The border is manageable, and rather than being a danger to Americans, immigrants are a net economic and social benefit.
Although the number of immigrants arriving at the southern border is high (2.48 million were “encountered” by US authorities between October 2022 and September 2023) is unprecedented; There are comparable figures from 2000. But considering those figures without context gives a very partial picture.
Consider that last year's 2.48 million immigrants are less than 1% of the US population. Compare Poland, which took in Ukrainian refugees at three times the rate, and Costa Rica, which has taken in 10 times as many refugees per capita as the United States.
The United States also receives far fewer immigrants than significantly less wealthy countries. Low- and middle-income countries host 75% of the world's refugees and displaced people, while the United States and other wealthy countries host only 25%.
But more importantly, the idea that immigrants are “detrimental to the interests of the United States,” which is the legal basis that would be used to close the border, has been debunked. Study after study documents that immigrants benefit America rather than harm it
An economic and budget forecast recently released by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office predicted a $7 trillion increase in gross domestic product and a $1 trillion increase in income. as a result of immigration. In a “60 minute interview Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell noted that the increase in immigrant workers after the pandemic was a major factor in improving the country's economic outlook, including reducing inflation.
Immigrants who entered the United States through one of Biden's “parole programs,” which Republican politicians have sought to end by legislation and litigation — filled a crucial need in industries such as construction, transportation and manufacturing that have experienced enormous labor shortages.
And contrary to the belief that immigrants are freeloaders, their contributions outweigh any benefits they may receive. He Institute of Taxation and Economic Policy found that undocumented immigrants, who are essentially ineligible for public benefits, pay approximately $11.74 billion a year in state and local taxes. The facts are the same for immigrants who are entitled to public benefits. TO study A study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services showed that between 2005 and 2014, refugees and asylees contributed $63 billion more in income than they used in services.
Immigrants are accused of being a threat due to their propensity for crime. He Arrest of Venezuelan migrant for killing nursing student in Athens, Georgia, has amplified the issue in the media this week. But research has also refuted a supposed link between immigrants and crime. A recent Stanford study examined 140 years of data and showed that immigrants commit crimes at a rate Much lower than native citizens.
It is true that the situation on the border poses humanitarian and operational challenges. In Texas, New York, Illinois and California, cities have struggled to respond to meet the needs of arriving immigrants. Political stunts by figures such as Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who has bused and flown migrants across the country, have exacerbated the problem. Immigration courts are also severely backlogged, often forcing asylum seekers to wait years for their cases to be resolved. But the solution is not to close the border. Instead, the Biden administration—and Congress—must implement an orderly and humane asylum process and ensure coordination and adequate resources to facilitate it.
Biden campaigned on a promise to restore the United States to its role as a safe haven for the persecuted. His administration's rumored plan to eliminate asylum is a betrayal of that promise and a violation of our national and international obligations. But beyond that, it's a tragic misstep. The president of the United States occupies the ultimate bully pulpit, and Biden is better positioned than anyone to tell the truth about what is happening at the border and dispel lies about migrants. At a time when so many people are displaced around the world, it should not erode an already fragile system for its protection.
Karen Musalo is a law professor and founding director of the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies at UC Law San Francisco. She is also co-lead author of “Refugee Law and Policy: A Comparative and International Approach.”
