Biden Slammed for Border Wall Expansion
Critics have slammed President Biden’s plans to expand a border wall in South Texas, accusing him of reneging on a campaign promise and returning to Trump-era tactics to curb the migrant crisis.
“Walls don’t work… President Biden promised he wouldn’t build them,” Texas Democrat Beto O’Rourke wrote on social media platform X. “Now harder for voters to distinguish between him & Trump on border/immigration… Wasted opportunity to use executive power to actually fix our asylum system instead of impotent political posturing.”
Biden Administration to Resume Deporting Venezuelans
The Biden administration announced it will begin deporting Venezuelan immigrants who entered the country illegally to stem the rising number of migrants fleeing Venezuela. Illegal border crossings, especially by Venezuelans, have surged in recent months, with about 50,000 arrests in September. The decision marks a shift in policy after the administration established legal pathways and extended humanitarian protections to a significant number of Venezuelan arrivals in recent months.
DHS to Speed Up EAD Processing Times for Certain Migrants
Starting this month, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said it plans to reduce processing times to 30 days for employment authorization documents (EADs) for migrants entering through the Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, Venezuelan parole process or the CBP One mobile app. Over 211,000 have used the CHNV program, and 241,000 via CBP One since January 2023, with USCIS currently taking four months for 80% of parole-based EAD applications.
Florida’s Immigration Crackdown is Hurting the State’s Economy, Says New Report
According to a new report by the Miami Herald, the state of Florida’s recent crackdown on illegal immigration is hurting local businesses and stifling the state’s economy.
Last summer, Florida’s Republican-controlled legislature passed a hardline immigration bill, aimed at cracking down on undocumented immigrants in the state. So far, there has been little evidence that the new law has led to many arrests, but it has had a noticeable impact on the hiring of immigrants, according to Florida business owners and labor economists. The agriculture, hospitality, and construction industries have been particularly affected.