Biden’s border plan hopes to reduce Venezuelan immigrants to New York City

President Biden’s administration quietly announced Wednesday that Venezuelans who enter the United States illegally will be “returned” to Mexico and that asylum seekers must obtain a sponsor, undergo public safety screening and meet certain, as yet unspecified, vaccination requirements, according to the statement. Developed by the Department of Homeland Security.

The policy comes after New York City has collapsed for months under the pressure of immigrants – many of them Venezuelans – who are flocking to the five boroughs in search of sanctuary.

So far this year, nearly 20,000 immigrants have arrived in the Big Apple.

at that time, Mayor Adams appealed for state and federal assistance To help relieve the pressure the influx of new arrivals has placed on the city’s homeless shelter system.

Biden’s new policy — parts of which were published with little fanfare on the Department of Homeland Security website on Wednesday — is similar to that of former President Donald Trump in that it allows immigrants to be returned to Mexico if they entered the United States illegally.

Two areas in which the policy differs from Trump’s are the provision that asylum seekers must secure sponsorship in the form of someone providing financial support in the United States and a clearer path to legal residence. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a message.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, the new policy seeks to create a safer and more orderly process for people fleeing Venezuela and relieve pressure on cities like New York that have taken in immigrants.

“These actions demonstrate that there is a legal and orderly way for Venezuelans to enter the United States, and legal entry is the only way,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mallorcas said in a written statement. Those who attempt to illegally cross the southern border of the United States will be returned to Mexico and will not be eligible for this process in the future. Those who follow the legal process will have the opportunity to travel safely to the United States and become eligible to work here.”

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The new program will also create new immigration checkpoints along the southwestern border, target people-smuggling gangs, and create a new process to legally allow up to 24,000 “qualified” Venezuelans to enter the United States.

Immigrants who have been ordered removed from the United States in the past five years or who crossed the border illegally after October 12 will not be eligible to remain in the United States. Refugee status in a country other than the United States will also be subject to deportation.

“Venezuelans should not travel to Mexico to continue entry into the United States,” according to the Department of Homeland Security.

And in a written statement released on Wednesday, the agency indicated that it “may consider expanding [the process] in the future”, but she did not explain what exactly that means.

Over the past several months, Help from the federal and state It either comes in the form of drops, or not at all. Governor Hochul activated more than 140 members of the New York National Guard to help with the logistics of setting up immigrant tents on Randalls Island recently, but with the midterm elections looming, and Hochul in the middle of her re-election process, she and Biden seemed reluctant to take any steps. It would provide Republicans with talking points on a hot issue such as immigration.

Despite the politics, Adams, who is also a Democrat, delivered a city council speech last Friday renewing his demands that the feds and the state do more to provide aid to the city. Among those questions were whether the federal government would ease work requirements for immigrants now in the United States and that there be a concerted effort to distribute the burden New York feels to other cities and states.

On Thursday, Adams referred to the president’s new policy as a victory — but with the caveat that more needs to be done.

While details are still emerging, this federal action is a short-term step to address this humanitarian crisis and to manage the flow of border crossings in a humane manner. But a proactive, long-term strategy is still needed, which includes Congress passing legislation to allow asylum seekers to work legally and provide emergency financial relief to our city.” “We also need a bipartisan effort to deliver long-overdue immigration reform so that we can offer a safe and legal pathway. to the American Dream. We are grateful to President Biden and his administration for our ongoing dialogue to address this humanitarian crisis and look forward to continuing to work closely with them moving forward.”

The Republicans were declaring victory over the declaration on Thursday morning as well.

City Councilman Joe Borrelli (Staten Island) suggested the news validated Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s controversial practice of busing immigrants to New York — a policy that Adams repeatedly criticized for failing to coordinate with Abbott.

“The pressure created after the New York crisis exploded was enough for the administration to realize that it could not announce an open border policy in the middle of the term,” Borrelli said. “If you were the governor of Texas or Arizona, you probably couldn’t help but think the job was partly accomplished today. That wouldn’t have happened if New York had an explosion of immigrants with budget-busting costs.”