Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Trump Mulls Sending All Who Cross Border Illegally to Mexico
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
March 18, 2020

Share

SAN DIEGO — The Trump administration is considering a plan to turn back all people who cross the border illegally from Mexico, two administration officials said Tuesday, using powers they say the president has during pandemics like the coronavirus outbreak to mount what would be one of the most aggressive attempts to curtail illegal immigration.

The officials said the president has authority to take such action in a pandemic and that Mexico’s efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus, along with Venezuela’s, have been the weakest in North and South America.
The plan is under consideration and no final decisions have been made, according to the officials, who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the plan hasn’t been announced.
The officials said the president has authority to take such action in a pandemic and that Mexico’s efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus, along with Venezuela’s, have been the weakest in North and South America. The officials said its authority relies on a law that gives the president authority to deny entry to people or to reject cargo if the Surgeon General determines there is “serious danger” of bringing a communicable disease to the United States.
The administration had declared in November 2018 that anyone who crossed the border illegally from Mexico would be denied asylum, a measure has been blocked in court. Last month, a 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel in San Francisco upheld a lower court decision to keep that asylum ban on hold while a lawsuit proceeds.
The ban now being considered, which was first reported by The New York Times, would turn back to Mexico all people who cross the border illegally, not just those seeking asylum.
Homeland Security Department spokeswoman Heather Swift said the president was focused on protecting Americans from the coronavirus and that “all options are on the table.”
Photo of asylum seekers waiting in line
FILE – In this Oct. 5, 2019 file photo, migrants seeking asylum wait in line with their case paperwork during a weekly trip by volunteers, lawyers, paralegals and interpreters to the migrant campsite outside El Puente Nuevo in Matamoros, Mexico. A federal appeals court has temporarily halted a major Trump administration policy to make asylum seekers wait in Mexico while their cases wind through U.S. immigration courts. A panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled Friday, Feb. 28, 2020 in a 2-1 vote to put on hold the policy that furthered President Donald Trump’s asylum crackdown. (Denise Cathey/The Brownsville Herald via AP, File)
FILE – In this Oct. 5, 2019 file photo, migrants seeking asylum wait in line with their case paperwork during a weekly trip by volunteers, lawyers, paralegals and interpreters to the migrant campsite outside El Puente Nuevo in Matamoros, Mexico. A federal appeals court has temporarily halted a major Trump administration policy to make asylum seekers wait in Mexico while their cases wind through U.S. immigration courts. A panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled Friday, Feb. 28, 2020 in a 2-1 vote to put on hold the policy that furthered President Donald Trump’s asylum crackdown. (Denise Cathey/The Brownsville Herald via AP, File)

The Proposal Is Also in Line With Trump’s Overall Policies on Migrants

Immigrant advocacy groups condemned the possible move.
“Decisions relating to the pandemic should be guided by public health officials, not by the Trump administration’s long-standing agenda to close the border to refugees seeking asylum,” said Eleanor Acer, Human Rights First’s director of refugee protection. “The administration is using the pandemic as a pretext to advance its long-term goal of curtailing asylum rights for people fleeing persecution.”
A third official familiar with the administration’s decision making and unauthorized to speak publicly said there was some alarm within the government and health care community about the health of people at the Southern border, and there could be consequences without further restrictions. The official noted that some migrants are coming over the border from countries with confirmed cases of the virus.
But the proposal is also in line with Trump’s overall policies on migrants, especially poor people arriving at the border, and his desire to clamp down on immigration. It would be the effort to deter asylum and illegal immigration on the Mexican border. About 60,000 asylum-seekers have been returned to Mexico to wait for hearings in U.S. immigration court since January 2019 under its “Remain in Mexico” policy, which the Supreme Court ruled last week could stay in effect during a legal challenge. The officials didn’t detail the mechanics of how this new effort would work.

Since November, the Administration Has Denied Asylum to Hundreds of People

Many migrants who are forced to wait in Mexico live in squalor in makeshift camps as they wait out their court cases to stay in the U.S., often facing violence and poverty. On Tuesday, some 30 asylum-seekers, many with children, wore masks to court in El Paso, Texas.

There were more than 851,000 arrests for crossing the border during the 2019 fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30. The new policy would not apply to asylum-seekers who present themselves at land ports of entry, the official said.
One U.S. official told the AP that people who cross the border illegally would still be processed by the Border Patrol, which has limited ability to so without taking people to a station. Mexico can refuse to take back non-Mexicans, but the Trump administration hopes the measure will increase pressure on Mexican authorities to address the public health threat.
Since November, the administration has denied asylum to hundreds of people from El Salvador and Honduras and flown them to Guatemala with a chance to seek protection there.
There were more than 851,000 arrests for crossing the border during the 2019 fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30. The new policy would not apply to asylum-seekers who present themselves at land ports of entry, the official said.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The worldwide outbreak has sickened more than 180,000 people and left more than 7,000 people dead. In the United States, there have been more than 4,000 confirmed cases and scores of deaths.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

A Tidal Wave of Change Is Headed for the U.S. Economy

DON'T MISS

‘Do Not Mock Us’: Trump’s AI Pope Photo Draws Backlash from Catholic Leaders

DON'T MISS

Warren Buffett Shocks Shareholders by Announcing His Intention to Retire at the End of the Year

DON'T MISS

Don’t Have a REAL ID Yet? That Could Cause You Travel Headaches After May 7

DON'T MISS

Grand Theft Auto VI Delayed Again, This Time Until May 2026

DON'T MISS

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese Wins a Second 3-Year Term

DON'T MISS

Justice Department Will Switch Its Focus on Voting and Prioritize Trump’s Elections Order

DON'T MISS

Newsom Jabs at Trump and Musk, but Will AI Make California More Efficient?

DON'T MISS

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Trial to Delve Into the Seediest Side of Rap’s ‘Bad Boy’

DON'T MISS

Robbie Ray’s Gem Leads the Giants Over the Rockies

UP NEXT

Don’t Have a REAL ID Yet? That Could Cause You Travel Headaches After May 7

UP NEXT

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese Wins a Second 3-Year Term

UP NEXT

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Trial to Delve Into the Seediest Side of Rap’s ‘Bad Boy’

UP NEXT

Robbie Ray’s Gem Leads the Giants Over the Rockies

UP NEXT

World’s Tallest and Smallest Dogs Meet Up for a Playdate

UP NEXT

University of Texas Chancellor Is Named President of the University of California

UP NEXT

Here’s Why May the 4th Is Celebrated as Star Wars Day Across the Galaxy

UP NEXT

Russian Drones Hit Apartment Block in Ukraine’s Kharkiv, 46 Hurt

UP NEXT

Military Parade on Trump’s Birthday Could Include More Than 6,500 Troops

UP NEXT

Israeli Security Cabinet Backs Plans to Expand Gaza Operation, Media Reports Say

Don’t Have a REAL ID Yet? That Could Cause You Travel Headaches After May 7

10 hours ago

Grand Theft Auto VI Delayed Again, This Time Until May 2026

10 hours ago

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese Wins a Second 3-Year Term

11 hours ago

Justice Department Will Switch Its Focus on Voting and Prioritize Trump’s Elections Order

11 hours ago

Newsom Jabs at Trump and Musk, but Will AI Make California More Efficient?

12 hours ago

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Trial to Delve Into the Seediest Side of Rap’s ‘Bad Boy’

12 hours ago

Robbie Ray’s Gem Leads the Giants Over the Rockies

12 hours ago

Voters to Decide if Home of Elon Musk’s SpaceX Should Become an Official City: Starbase

12 hours ago

World’s Tallest and Smallest Dogs Meet Up for a Playdate

12 hours ago

Yamamoto Allows Only 1 Hit in 6 Scoreless Innings and Betts Homers as Dodgers Hold Off Braves 2-1

13 hours ago

A Tidal Wave of Change Is Headed for the U.S. Economy

When the COVID pandemic hit, factories in China shut down and global shipping traffic slowed. Within a matter of a few weeks, products began...

5 hours ago

5 hours ago

A Tidal Wave of Change Is Headed for the U.S. Economy

8 hours ago

‘Do Not Mock Us’: Trump’s AI Pope Photo Draws Backlash from Catholic Leaders

10 hours ago

Warren Buffett Shocks Shareholders by Announcing His Intention to Retire at the End of the Year

10 hours ago

Don’t Have a REAL ID Yet? That Could Cause You Travel Headaches After May 7

10 hours ago

Grand Theft Auto VI Delayed Again, This Time Until May 2026

11 hours ago

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese Wins a Second 3-Year Term

11 hours ago

Justice Department Will Switch Its Focus on Voting and Prioritize Trump’s Elections Order

12 hours ago

Newsom Jabs at Trump and Musk, but Will AI Make California More Efficient?

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend