Guatemalan and Mexican authorities blocking northbound caravans (for now) appear to be taking illegal immigration more seriously than incoming President Joe Biden.
In Guatemala, security forces broke up a group of 4,000 mostly Honduran migrants on Monday. The day before, a Mexican general assailed “cynics, opportunists and social hit men [who]promote irregular migration.”
“Guatemala’s message is loud and clear: These types of illegal mass movements will not be accepted,” the Guatemalan president’s office declared.
Such actions and statements contrast sharply with Biden’s promises of amnesty for millions of illegal aliens in this country. Though Biden has warned migrants not to make the journey north because U.S. immigration policies won’t change overnight, his proposed legislation “stunned” immigrant advocates with its boldness.
Hector Sanchez Barba, head of Mi Familia Vota, wouldn’t divulge specifics, but called the package “the most aggressive agenda I have seen on immigration reform from day one — not only the legislative package, but also executive orders.”
Such initiatives incentivize illegal immigration, empower human smugglers and make it more difficult for Central American countries to secure their borders.
They also can be problematic for members of Congress. Already eyeing the 2022 mid-term elections, Rep. Veronica Escobar, an open-borders Democrat from Texas, worried, “The administration has a very limited window of opportunity before House members begin running for re-election. Every day that passes is a day that the window shuts just an inch more. …We’ve got to get it done in one fell swoop.”
Translation: Whatever is in Biden’s bill, hurry up and pass the thing because it’s bound to be kryptonite at the polls.
