--:-- Sean Rameswaram: Welcome to Today Explained. I'm Sean Rameswaram, and today we're talking about President Biden's immigration policy. My guest is Nick Miroff, a reporter for The Washington Post who covers immigration and homeland security. Nick, thanks for joining me.
--:-- Nick Miroff: Thanks for having me, Sean.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: When Joe Biden was running for president, he said he wanted to be more humane than his predecessor when it came to immigration and policies at the U.S. border with Mexico. My father would say it's all about dignity, granting them the dignity and respect they deserve. He's had two years to deliver on that promise with Democrats in control of Congress.
--:-- Nick Miroff: That's right. And I think it's worth noting that Biden's campaign was very focused on this idea of restoring a more humane approach to immigration. He wanted to create an orderly, humane system at the border.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: I want to be clear to folks in this region who are thinking about making that dangerous trek to the United States-Mexico border. Do not come. And an especially eventful two months with Republicans in control of the House. Do not, do not just show up at the border.
--:-- Nick Miroff: That's right. And I think it's worth noting that the Biden administration has been trying to send a message that the border is not open, and that people should not attempt to cross illegally.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: It seems like as good a time as any to assess how President Biden's doing on his pledge. And that is coming up on Today Explained.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: Welcome back to Today Explained. I'm Sean Rameswaram, and I'm here with Nick Miroff from The Washington Post. Nick, you've been covering the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration. Can you tell us a bit about the state of immigration policy under the Biden administration?
--:-- Nick Miroff: Sure. When Biden took office, he inherited a lot of the Trump-era policies, including the Title 42 pandemic emergency restrictions. Title 42 is a public health rule that allows Border Patrol to immediately expel migrants back to Mexico once they have crossed illegally.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: And how has the Biden administration handled Title 42?
--:-- Nick Miroff: Well, the Biden administration has been trying to phase out Title 42, but it's been a complicated process. They've made more and more exceptions to the expulsions, and they've also been sued by a group of conservative states that want to keep Title 42 in place.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: And what's the current state of Title 42?
--:-- Nick Miroff: The Biden administration has announced that they're going to end the public health emergency related to the pandemic on May 11th, which will eliminate the underlying basis for the Title 42 border restrictions.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: And what does that mean for the border?
--:-- Nick Miroff: It means that the situation at the border is going to get much worse. The states that are suing to keep Title 42 in place are going to continue to fight, and it's likely that the issue will end up in the Supreme Court.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: Let's talk about the last two months, since Republicans have taken control of the House. It feels like it's been very eventful. Can you tell us what's been happening?
--:-- Nick Miroff: Yeah, there's been a lot going on. The administration has been trying to pivot more toward the center, more toward a more enforcement-minded approach to the border. They've rolled out a new border strategy that includes tighter enforcement and the creation of legal pathways for migrants to enter the United States.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: And what does that look like?
--:-- Nick Miroff: It's a two-pronged approach. The first prong is the creation of a parole program that will allow up to 30,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to enter the United States legally. The second prong is a new proposal that will effectively punish any asylum seeker who enters the United States illegally or doesn't seek protection in another country they transit en route to the U.S. border.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: And how has that been received?
--:-- Nick Miroff: Well, it's been met with a lot of criticism from immigration advocates and some Democrats. They're saying that the administration is moving too far to the right on immigration, and that this is a major change to the way asylum claims are processed at the border.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: And what about the impact on the border?
--:-- Nick Miroff: The number of people being taken into custody after crossing illegally from those four nations has dropped 97%. But, as you'd expect, the smugglers are already adjusting and trying to work around the new rules.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: And what about the legal challenges to this new policy?
--:-- Nick Miroff: The ACLU has said that they're going to sue the Biden administration to prevent this policy from taking effect. And, of course, there are also the states that are suing to block the parole program.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: Nick, it seems like the Biden administration is taking heat from both sides on this issue. Has he at least been more humane?
--:-- Nick Miroff: I think that they have. And I think that any serious examination of what they have done over the past two years shows that they completely changed the way the government talks about migrants and immigrants. They have removed many of the policies put in place by the Trump administration that were designed to punish or deter migrants through harsh treatment.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: And what about the future of immigration policy under the Biden administration?
--:-- Nick Miroff: Well, it's going to be a challenge for the administration to navigate this issue, especially heading into next year's re-election campaign. They're going to have to walk a very narrow tightrope between their core base and the Republican Party.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: Nick Miroff, thanks for joining me today.
--:-- Nick Miroff: Thanks for having me, Sean.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: That's it for today's show. Thanks for listening to Today Explained.
