According to the Los Angeles Times, the Biden administration is considering forcing some migrant families who cross the border to remain in Texas while they await asylum screening.
The outlet said it received the scoop from three U.S. officials.
“LA Times’ Hamed Aleaziz with a scoop, reporting that the Biden administration is considering forcing some migrant families who cross the border illegally to remain in Texas, limiting their ability to travel within the US, as bipartisan criticism grows,” Fox News national correspondent Bill Melugin said.
NEW: LA Times' @Haleaziz with a scoop, reporting that the Biden administration is considering forcing some migrant families who cross the border illegally to remain in Texas, limiting their ability to travel within the US, as bipartisan criticism grows.https://t.co/b3qkwtWoIE
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) September 7, 2023
One social media user commented that the decision would “rescue” Democrat-led cities by forcing migrants to remain in Texas.
“So, the Biden administration is trying to rescue Mayor Adams in NYC (and other blue cities) by forcing asylum seekers to stay in Texas,” the commenter said.
https://twitter.com/ShawnQuinn83/status/1699885700731318526
“Under Trump, we had Remain in Mexico. Under Biden, we have Remain in Texas. They treat people who cross our borders illegally better than they do Americans,” another individual commented.
Under Trump, we had Remain in Mexico.
Under Biden, we have Remain in Texas.
They treat people who cross our borders illegally better than they do Americans. https://t.co/yb1KiBMKI4
— Christian Collins (@CollinsforTX) September 7, 2023
“Holy crap… ‘REMAIN IN TEXAS’… Forget moving the goalposts, now Biden is moving the border,” Daily Caller editor Vince Coglianese said.
Holy crap… “REMAIN IN TEXAS”… Forget moving the goalposts, now Biden is moving the border https://t.co/JzrtFHzc8v
— Vince Coglianese (@VinceCoglianese) September 7, 2023
The report from the Los Angeles Times follows a federal judge’s order for Texas to remove a border barrier in the Rio Grande.
First they tell Texas to remove the floating water barrier in the Rio Grande—now they say those coming across into Texas can't leave Texas? HELL NO! https://t.co/aVk9v2ESQa
— Cari Kelemen (@KelemenCari) September 7, 2023
More from the Los Angeles Times:
Administration officials have been considering the idea as a way to stem recent increases in the numbers of migrant families crossing the southern border, which reportedly reached an all-time high last month. Supporters of the remain-in-Texas idea, which has yet to be finalized, hope that it would help the administration advance its goals of quickly deporting families who fail initial asylum screenings and deterring other families from crossing in the first place.
But the proposal, which recalls President Reagan’s efforts to limit asylum-seekers’ movements in the late 1980s, is likely to draw fierce opposition from immigrant rights groups and border-state officials. Since 2022, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, has bused thousands of migrants out of his state to Democrat-run cities such as Los Angeles, New York and Washington, D.C.
The Biden plan would force certain migrant families to remain in Texas — or possibly other border states — by tracking their location through GPS monitoring devices, such as ankle bracelets, according to the three officials, who were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. The families would be put through an asylum screening process to determine whether they could stay in the U.S. and proceed with their claims. Officials have discussed working with local organizations to provide housing for the families.
If the families failed their initial screenings, they’d be easier to deport because they’d be close to the border.
Migrant families are generally harder to arrest in the interior of the U.S. because of the complicated logistical planning needed to apprehend children and their parents. Migrant family deportations are historically lower than those of single adults seeking asylum in the U.S.