![On the 15th (local time) at Brownsville, Texas, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) employees hand over unaccompanied minor smuggled children to authorities. [AFP = 연합뉴스]](https://i0.wp.com/file.mk.co.kr/meet/neds/2021/03/image_readtop_2021_255804_16159802494577194.jpg?w=560&ssl=1)
On the 15th (local time) at Brownsville, Texas, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) employees hand over unaccompanied minor smuggled children to authorities. [AFP = 연합뉴스]With the surge in illegal immigration in the United States, smuggling has emerged as one of the new challenges for the Joe Biden administration. As the number of illegal immigrants across the Mexican border is expected to hit a 20-year high in the near future, President Joe Biden made a public appeal, saying “Do not come to the United States.”
President Biden said in an exclusive interview with ABC News that was partially released on the 16th (local time), saying, “I can tell you clearly,” and “don’t go over to the United States.” “We are preparing the system, so please do not leave your town, city, or region,” he emphasized.
Homeland Security Minister Alejandro Mallorcas acknowledged the seriousness of “the situation on the southwestern border is difficult,” but announced that he would not return to the days of the Donald Trump administration, which immediately expelled smuggled youth.
In the United States this year, the number of illegal immigrants from Mexico is increasing as the Biden administration has begun to overturn the anti-immigration policy of former President Donald Trump in earnest. According to statistics released recently by the Pew Research Center, an American polling agency, the number of illegal immigrants arrested at the Mexican border last month amounted to 9,6974. This is the highest record since May 2019 (132,856 cases), when former President Trump carried out an ultra-strong response against smugglers in Latin America.
In particular, the increasing number of minors crossing the border alone without parents is a problem. Foreign media reported that this month, an average of 565 youths under the age of 18 without guardians are smuggling into the United States on average per day. This is a significant increase compared to the daily average (313 people). The Washington Post (WP) reported that out of 4,000 youth detained by the US Border Guard as of the 15th, 3,000 were staying in excess of the legal allowable time of 72 hours.
The U.S. last year set a policy to expedite smugglers from adults and families in order to quarantine Corona 19. However, this phenomenon is getting worse as the fact that the newly launched Biden government temporarily suspends deportation for minors.
Shortly after taking office, President Biden stopped working on the construction of the border barriers, which former President Trump had put forth as his flagship achievement. In addition, the’DACA’ system was maintained to defer the deportation of illegally staying minors. The worsening of the coronavirus outbreak in Latin America and the occurrence of famine and natural disasters are also affecting the increase in smuggling.
With the lack of facilities to accommodate illegal immigrants, the U.S. government is mobilizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to search for additional space. FEMA is generally a federal agency that helps respond to disasters. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) said, “FEMA is in charge of natural disasters such as hurricanes, but this border crisis is human resources.” Pointed out.
The Biden government plans to move 3,000 youth smugglers to a convention center in Dallas, Texas this week. Local foreign media reported that boys aged 15-17 are expected to be held for up to 90 days. White House spokesman Jen Saki said the day before, “The US government has been looking for additional facilities for smuggling minors.”
Opposition parties claim that the Biden administration’s reckless immigration policy has caused the situation. CNN said, “As the illegal immigration problem arose, the Republican Party is branding President Biden with a naive and soft image.” Republican House Representative Kevin McCarthy raised his voice the day before, saying, “This crisis was caused by a presidential policy led by the new government.”
Some Democratic radicals are concerned that the detention facilities for illegal youth immigrants are poor. President Biden last weekend issued orders to the FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security to improve the treatment of the growing number of illegal underage immigrants.
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