Reports suggest that President Joe Biden is planning a massive migration swap with his Mexican counterpart President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. According to Townhall, the swap would see hundreds of thousands of migrants gain legal entry into the United States.
Biden Is Reportedly Planning a Massive Migration Swap With Mexico
https://t.co/suyUNQQRJv— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) February 11, 2023
The new deal would help the Biden administration fast-track the expulsion of illegal immigrants coming to the U.S. from Venezuela, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Cuba to Mexico. The deal is, however, contingent on the U.S. creating legal pathways for migrants and expanding the existing parole process for those who cross the border illegally.
According to the New York Post, non-Mexicans who cross the border unlawfully would be arrested, locked up in migration detention camps, and deported to Mexico under the new deal. Deported immigrants would also be barred from entering the U.S. for five years and would face felony charges and jail time if they tried to cross the border illegally again.
Four former and current U.S. officials revealed the details of the deal with The Washington Post. Doris Meissner, the top U.S. immigration official during President Bill Clinton’s administration, said the deal — which is the first of its kind — could be a “game changer.”
“I think we’re into a new era and new territory,” she said.
Meissner added that she was not aware of any previous deal that would allow the mass deportation of non-Mexican immigrants to Mexico.
The new deal would reportedly bolster the Department of Homeland Security’s plan, which is currently in the works and set to be unveiled next week. The new DHS plan would penalize the claims of asylum seekers who cross the border unlawfully or failed to apply for protection in the countries they passed through before entering the U.S.
Officials from the U.S. and Mexico told The Washington Post that the two nations are still in the negotiation process and have not reached a deal on deportations.
“There are ongoing conversations about the different scenarios given the changing legal, policy, and human mobility landscape,” Roberto Velasco, the Mexican Foreign Ministry’s chief officer for North America, told The Washington Post. “So far, there aren’t any decisions on the next steps for our migratory cooperation.”
