Immigration Border Crisis - Tracker

Take Action On the Border Crisis

Causes.com is your source for up-to-date information about the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border.

We'll provide the latest info on asylum seekers, the Customs and Border Protection scheduling app, proposed bills and solutions, and unfolding human rights issues.

Take Action Now: Tell your reps & if you support or oppose stricter asylum laws or whether the government should create easier pathways for immigration.

Access the latest information on the border here...

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NYC Mayor Eric Adams Said Influx of Migrants "Will Destroy New York City.”

September 11, 2023

• New York City Mayor Eric Adams has sounded the alarm on the strains that migration is placing on the city, arguing that the busloads of migrants being sent up from Southern states are pushing the city to the limit of its budget and resources.
• Adams has been a vocal critic of both President Biden and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) for failing to provide resources, funding, and expedited work permits for migrants and asylum seekers. Adams projected that the city’s budget gap could grow to $12 billion.
• The city has seen an influx of 110,000 migrants since last year. New York City has a mandate that it must provide shelter to anyone who needs it, and the migrant surge has led to the opening of 200 emergency sites. Shelters are at capacity, with officials saying that 500 new migrants are arriving each day.
• Murad Awawdeh, the executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition, criticized Adams:

“The comments are uncalled for. Using dangerous language sometimes leads to dangerous acts and we don’t want people put in that situation. So it’s important that leaders understand how to communicate [to] not put people’s lives on the line."

Do you agree?

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Judge Orders Removal of Rio Grande Barrier

September 7, 2023

• U.S. District Judge David Ezra has ordered Texas to remove the Rio Grande floating barrier, arguing that it threatens public safety and diplomatic relations. 
• The preliminary injunction requires that the barriers be removed from the river and placed on an embankment by Sept. 15.
• Texas plans to appeal the verdict. Gov. Greg Abbott said:

"Today's court decision merely prolongs President Joe Biden's wilful refusal to acknowledge that Texas is rightfully stepping up to do the job that he should have been doing all along.”

• Judge Ezra, a Reagan appointee, questioned whether the barriers even deterred illegal immigration.
• U.S. Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta said the Biden administration was satisfied with the ruling:

"We are pleased that the court ruled that the barrier was unlawful and irreparably harms diplomatic relations, public safety, navigation, and the operations of federal agency officials in and around the Rio Grande.”

Do you agree with the ruling?

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Rio Grande Barrier at Center of Legal Battle

August 23, 2023

• U.S. District Judge David Ezra heard arguments Tuesday about whether authorities should remove the Rio Grande barrier that was installed to stop migrants from crossing the river into Texas.
• The hearing came after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and the Republican governors of Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and South Dakota gathered on the riverbank to defend the militarization of the border. Abbott claimed that the barrier’s position had been adjusted after Mexico complained that the buoys were located on their territory.

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Three-Year-Old Girl Dies on Migrant Bus From Texas to Chicago

August 15, 2023

• A three-year-old girl from Venezuela has died while aboard a controversial migrant bus from Texas to Chicago.
• The child’s death is the first reported since Republican Governor Greg Abbott began busing thousands of asylum seekers to Democrat-led cities last year in a program criticized by human rights groups.
• The Texas Division of Emergency Management said that the bus pulled over, and 911 was called when the little girl began showing worrying health symptoms. The agency confirmed that passengers had their temperature taken and were asked whether they had any medical conditions before boarding.
• The girl's parents are currently in Indiana with their family, receiving assistance from the Champaign Urbana Immigration Forum.

 

• The San Francisco-based 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled yesterday that Biden's strict asylum rules for migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border can remain in place for now.
• The court granted a temporary stay of an earlier ruling that would have stopped the restrictions this week. The earlier ruling found that the asylum rule violated U.S. law.
• The panel of judges voted 2-1. Judges William Fletcher and Richard Paez, both appointees of former President Bill Clinton, voted in favor of a temporary stay, while Judge Lawrence VanDyke dissented, writing that the Biden administration’s policy was not “meaningfully different” from Trump's border policies.
• Judge VanDyke continued:

"This new rule looks like the Trump administration’s Port of Entry Rule and Transit Rule got together, had a baby, and then dolled it up in a stylish modern outfit, complete with a phone app.”

Contact the White House and demand the Biden administration take action on immigration

 

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Body Found in Rio Grande Floating Barrier

August 3, 2023

• Mexican authorities are working to identify a body found trapped in the floating barriers installed by Gov. Abbott in the Rio Grande River. Mexican officials also reported a second unidentified body found in the river, about 3 miles from the barrier.
• Mexico's foreign ministry said:

"We are concerned about the impact on migrants' human rights and personal security that these state policies could have, as they go in the opposite direction to close collaboration."

• The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) announced that the victim appeared to have drifted into the barrier after drowning upstream.
• Mexico has sent two diplomatic letters to the United States saying the barrier violates an existing water treaty and potentially encroaches on Mexican territory.
• On Tuesday, a joint letter from over 60 organizations was sent to Texan state legislators demanding that they put an end to "violent border strategies" 
• The discovery comes in light of a Houston Chronicle report that finds that Texas troopers have been separating migrant families who enter the U.S., detaining and separating fathers on trespassing charges. This is in violation of guidelines issued in 2021.
• The Department of Justice (DOJ) is suing Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) over the erection of barrier structures in the Rio Grande. The DOJ purports that the river barriers were set up without authorization, and the Biden administration calls them a threat to public safety.

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Man Drives Into Six Migrant Workers in 'Intentional Assault'

July 31, 2023

• A man who drove into six migrant farm workers outside of a Walmart in Lincolnton, North Carolina, turned himself in to the police. He argued that he accidentally accelerated his S.U.V., but the police are calling it an "intentional assault."
• The man, Daniel Gonzalez, of Hickory, N.C., was arrested and charged with a felony hit-and-run. On Sunday, the day of the incident, he told his family he “panicked and left the scene."
• Footage of the incident shows Mr. Gonzalez crossing a median before hitting the group of migrant workers, all of whom went to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
• The incident drew parallels to the Brownsville, Texas, crash that killed 8 migrants in May.

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Judge Blocks Biden's Asylum Ban

July 28, 2023

• A federal judge has blocked a rule that allows immigration authorities to deny asylum to seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border without applying beforehand or seeking protection in transit countries before they reach the U.S.
• U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar from the Northern District of California, an Obama appointee, delayed his ruling from taking effect for 14 days, which will give the Biden administration time to appeal. Tigar stated that "the Rule — which has been in effect for two months — cannot remain in place."
• The Justice Department immediately appealed the order and requested that it be put on hold while the case is heard. The agency said it's confident that Biden's asylum rule is lawful.
• Judge Tigar's ruling eliminates one of the Biden administration's key enforcement tools, which came into effect after the coronavirus-based Title 42 expired in May. The rule imposes limits on migrants seeking asylum via the border, with limited exceptions, such as minors traveling alone.
• The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) argued that the asylum rule violates a U.S. law that protects the right to asylum, regardless of how or where migrants enter the country. The group argues that the rule forces migrants to seek out asylum in countries that do not have strong human rights records.

Contact the White House and demand the Biden administration take action on immigration

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DOJ Sues Texas and Gov. Abbott Over Rio Grande Barrier

July 28, 2023

• The Department of Justice (DOJ) is suing Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) over the erection of barrier structures in the Rio Grande. The DOJ purports that the river barriers were set up without authorization, and the Biden administration calls them a threat to public safety.
• Abbott said:

"Texas will see you in court, Mr. President."

• Gov. Abbott argued that the floating barriers, which consist of large buoys, would deter migrants. The 1,000-foot-long floating barrier is roughly 4 feet tall and movable so that it can be "deployed strategically." It also has underwater webbing attached to hinder swimming.
• It was installed near the border town of Eagle Pass in early July. It is part of Abbott's $4 billion border security initiative, Operation Lone Star.
• The DOJ sent a letter to Abbott warning him of their plans to sue last week. The lawsuit, which names both Abbott and the state of Texas, was filed in federal court in Austin. The suit claims that the barrier violates the law and calls for Texas to remove it at the state's expense. 

 

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Groups Sue DeSantis Over Latest Anti-Immigration Policies

July 19, 2023

• Several human rights groups sued the DeSantis administration on Monday over its latest immigration law, FL SB 1718, arguing the policies inflict “enormous harm on people’s ability to go about their daily lives.”
• DeSantis has been at the forefront of efforts to transport undocumented migrants to Northern Democrat-led states, in a move human rights groups have condemned.
• The law allows authorities to charge someone with human trafficking if they knowingly transport an undocumented migrant across state lines. It would prohibit undocumented migrants from driving even if they possess a driver's license from another state.
• The law requires state hospitals that receive Medicaid to ask patients about their immigration status.
• Several groups, including the American Immigration Council, Americans for Immigrant Justice, Southern Poverty Law Center, and the ACLU Foundation of Florida brought the lawsuit. 

Do you support the lawsuit?

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Texas and Florida Continue to Send Migrants to Democrat-Led States

June 21, 2023

• In the latest example of a GOP strategy to bring the border crisis to northern, Democrat-led cities, Texas's Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has sent a busload of 40 migrants to Los Angeles.
• The group of migrants arrived at Union Station, after which a human rights organization took them to a nearby church.
• Abbott tweeted that it was the "1st bus," insinuating that more will follow. He blamed the Biden administration, saying, “Small Texas border towns remain overrun & overwhelmed because Biden refuses to secure the border."

What do you think of DeSantis's and Abbott's decision to send migrants to other states?

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On DACA's 11th Anniversary, White House Calls for Reform

June 15, 2023

• Eleven years after President Barack Obama created DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, to temporarily support young undocumented immigrants, the program's fate remains in legal limbo.
• The program has been the target of constant legal battles and political lobbying since its inception in 2012. Just last year, a federal appeals court ruled that DACA is unlawful.
• DACA allows young people brought to the country illegally before the age of 16 to qualify for temporary residency and work privileges without fear of deportation. Applicants must re-register for the program every two years.

Do you support the White House's immigration policies?

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Florida Continues to Send Migrants to Democrat-Led States

June 5, 2023

 

• In an ongoing tactic being used by GOP-led states like Florida and Texas, buses and planes are being chartered to relocate migrants to Democrat-led states like New York, California, and Massachusetts.
• California's attorney general, Rob Bonta, is investigating the most recent occurrence of sixteen Colombian and Venezuelan migrants discovered at the Roman Catholic Church diocese’s headquarters in the state capital, Sacramento.
• Bonta says that the migrants had documentation that appeared to have been issued by Florida.

What do you think of DeSantis's decision to send migrants to other states?

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As Title 42 Expires, What's Next in the Ongoing Border Crisis?

May 11, 2023

• The Trump-era policy Title 42 is expiring tonight. Title 42 allowed the government to automatically deport any undocumented migrants, including asylum seekers, ostensibly on COVID-19 public health emergency grounds.
• Over 2.8 million people were deported under Title 42.
• The administration is reverting back to its earlier asylum policy, Title 8, with key additions.
• Biden's new policy rule requires migrants and asylum seekers to book appointments via the border app, CBP One. Migrants without appointments will be turned away at the border.
• The CBP One app has been beset by technical difficulties and inherent racial bias.
• Asylum seekers will be ineligible for U.S. protection if they "circumvent" legal pathways, which has raised vocal concerns from human rights activists.
• Biden has just deployed 1,500 personnel to the border in expectation of a surge of migrants following the expiration of Title 42.
• Human rights groups believe the fear of a surge is misplaced, pointing to the fact that Title 42 did not truly deter attempted migrations and that border crossing attempts are at their highest rate in decades.

• The U.S. is sending 1,500 troops to the Mexico border in advance of an expected surge in migration and asylum-seeking with the May 11 expiration of Title 42, a Trump-era migration policy.
• Title 42 allowed the government to automatically deport any undocumented migrants, including asylum seekers, ostensibly on Covid-19 public health emergency grounds. 
• The newly deployed troops will bolster the 2,500 National Guard forces already at the border and will provide help with narcotics detection, warehouse support, transportation, and data processing.
• The additional personnel will be deployed for 90 days to fill "critical capability gaps," according to the Department of Defense.
• CBP official Troy Miller told Congress that he expects his agency to process over 10,000 migrants a day upon the expiration of Title 42. 

Is the U.S. doing enough to help migrants?

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NYC Mayor Declares State of Emergency Over Migrant Buses

May 3, 2023

• New York City's mayor Eric Adams declared a state of emergency over an influx of migrants sent to his city by Texas's Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.
• During a meeting with administration officials in Washington, D.C., he requested that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) stop sending funding to cities that ship migrants north. He also called on emergency federal and state relief.
• Abbott has been sending buses filled with migrants north before the midterm elections to increase support among his staunchly anti-immigration voter base.
• Activists have decried Gov. Abbott's moves and argue that GOP lawmakers use asylum seekers and migrants as pawns in political stunts, undermining their humanity and autonomy.
• Adams says that New York will be responsible for spending at least $1 billion by the end of the fiscal year on the migrant crisis alone and that the influx of unexpected migrants is putting a strain on the city's resources. City officials project that they will spend at least $4.3 billion on the crisis by June 2024.
• Adams said:

"There was never any agreement to take on the job of supporting thousands of asylum seekers. This responsibility was simply handed to us without warning as buses began showing up. There is no playbook for this, no precedent."

Do you agree with the state of emergency declaration?

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As Border Crisis Persists, Biden Admin To Open More Migrant Processing Centers

April 27, 2023

• Two weeks before Trump-era Title 42 ends, the Biden admin has decided to set up migrant processing centers throughout Latin America to address the ongoing migrant crisis and to stem the tide of migrants reaching the border.
• Title 42 has been used over 2.7 million times to expel prospective asylum-seekers on Covid-19 grounds.
• Title 42's dissolution on May 11, when the public health emergency ends, comes at a time of year that is historically busy in terms of migration
• Politico has reported that more centers could be opened in Costa Rica and Ecuador but that the government is still negotiating future locations.
• Spain and Canada have publicly agreed to accept referrals from the U.S. processing centers.
• Partners, including the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organization for Migration, will screen migrants at these centers and determine if they qualify for entry into the U.S. 
• The goal is to screen migrants before they make the treacherous journey north to the U.S. border and to provide them with lawful migration pathways, including claiming refugee status, family reunification, or labor pathways. 
• The U.S. is expecting to screen 5,000 to 6,000 migrants a month at these new centers. 

Is the U.S. doing enough to help migrants?

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Thousands of Migrants March Toward Mexico City to Protest Mistreatment and Injustice

April 26, 2023

• As of April 24, thousands of migrants are marching north to Mexico City as part of a mass protest to demand the end of inhumane conditions at detention centers and a continuing legacy of injustice. They are expected to reach the capital in ten days.
• The caravan, which left the Southern Mexican city of Tapachula on Sunday, consisted of roughly 3,000 people. They have been walking throughout the day in temperatures exceeding 95F.
• Most of the protestors originate from Central America, Cuba, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Colombia, countries impacted by cartel violence, poverty, femicide, and environmental degradation.
• The majority of the migrants attempt to seek asylum or migrate to the U.S., but the number of migrants seeking asylum in Mexico is growing. It is currently unknown whether the migrant caravan will continue north to the U.S. border.
• The protests are a reaction to the mistreatment of migrants and, more specifically, to the fatal fire at a detention center in the border city of Ciudad Juárez that killed forty people on March 27.

Is the U.S. doing enough to help migrants?

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Pushes For Harsh New Immigration Legislation

April 14, 2023

• Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is pushing for a proposal that would crack down on the border crisis by penalizing those who aid undocumented immigrants and calling on doctors to ask patients their legal status as a condition of care, among other strict new measures.
• The proposal represents the strictest crackdown on immigration in the country since Arizona’s 2010 “Show Me Your Papers” law and is expected to pass as Republicans have supermajorities in both state chambers.
• The bill would create legal consequences, possible third-degree felony charges, and five years of jail time for sheltering, hiring, and transporting undocumented immigrants.
• Under the proposal, a child driving a parent to work or a lawyer driving a client to an appointment could be charged for aiding and abetting an undocumented immigrant. Employers who hire workers without authorization could face penalties or jail time.
• The bill would require hospitals to inquire about patients’ immigration status and report data directly to state authorities. It would also invalidate out-of-state driver’s licenses if the holder is discovered to be undocumented. 

Do you agree with DeSantis' strict proposal?

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Seventeen Asylum Seekers Die in Bus Crash as Biden Proposes Stricter Asylum Rules

March 29, 2023

• Seventeen asylum seekers died in a bus crash on February 19 as they traveled through the state of Puebla, Mexico, en route to the U.S. The crash came days before the start of the public comment period on Biden's strict new asylum rule targeting the U.S.-Mexico border.
• The crash also comes a week after a bus carrying sixty-six migrants plunged off a cliff in Panama, killing thirty-nine people. The crash occurred after the bus successfully traversed the Darién Gap, one of the most dangerous regions in the world.
• A proposal released by the Biden administration will ban migrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border from claiming asylum in a move to deter people from coming to the border without receiving prior authorization.
• The proposal, issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Department of Justice, will make it mandatory for asylum seekers to use existing legal pathways to enter the U.S., although the policy will not apply to unaccompanied minors.

Should the U.S. deny asylum to anyone "circumventing" legal pathways? COMMENT NOW on Biden's proposed rule

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Thirty-Nine Migrants Die in Fire At Mexican Detention Center as Border Crisis Worsens

March 28, 2023

• Migrants afraid of deportation set mattresses on fire at an immigration center in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, starting a blaze that left 39 dead and 29 injured.
• More than 30 migrant shelters and advocacy organizations published an open letter on March 9 that drew attention to the growing stigmatization of migrants and asylum seekers in the border city.
• There were 68 men from Central and South America being held in the facility.

Should the U.S. deny asylum to anyone "circumventing" legal pathways? COMMENT NOW on Biden's proposed rule 

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Canada and U.S. Reach Agreement on Border, Asylum Seekers

March 25, 2023

• Joe Biden and Justin Trudeau are holding a joint news conference to announce a new migration deal during the President's trip to Ottawa.
• The agreement will enable Canada to send migrants who cross at unofficial ports of entry along the Canada-U.S. border to be sent back to the U.S. and denied entry to Canada.
• The agreement is an amendment to the "Safe Third Country Agreement" that the U.S. and Canada have that allows Canada to turn away migrants at official crossings. But the rate of asylum seekers coming to unofficial crossings has grown rapidly, necessitating an expansion of the agreement.
• High-traffic unofficial border crossings like Roxham Road at the border between New York and Quebec will be more tightly restricted, and migrants will be turned back to the U.S.
• In return, Canada has vowed to allow 15,000 migrants and asylum seekers from the Western Hemisphere to migrate to Canada legally.

Do you support Biden's strict new asylum rules?

 

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Mandatory App for Asylum Seekers Fails to Recognize Darker-Skinned Applicants

March 17, 2023

• Immigration rights activists say that the U.S.'s newly released app required for asylum applications is not only beset by technical problems but is failing to recognize the faces of Black and darker-skinned migrants.
• The app, CBP One, was released by Customs and Border Protection in Jan. as part of a strategy by the Biden administration to change how they process asylum applications. It is now mandatory for prospective migrants and asylum seekers to use the app to schedule an appointment with border personnel at a port of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border.
• Activists say that some of the declines in asylum seekers are attributable to technical issues that make it harder for darker-skinned migrants to book appointments.
• The app has difficulty recognizing the photos of darker-skinned applicants and rejects their submitted images. Without their faces being recognized, they cannot be searched in the database, and their application cannot be approved. These repeated rejections impact the ability of applicants to schedule an appointment in a timely manner.
• In addition to struggling to read features, easy usage of the app has been impacted by geolocation failures and frozen screens. The app also requires a degree of tech fluency and requires users to set up two-factor authentication to log in, creating further barriers.

 

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Mexico Too Dangerous for Spring Break, U.S. Says

March 14, 2023

• The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) has advised American citizens to avoid traveling to Mexico for the spring break holidays due to growing cartel violence and recent kidnappings.
• DPS director Steven McCraw warned:

"Drug cartel violence and other criminal activity represent a significant safety threat to anyone who crosses into Mexico right now. Based on the volatile nature of cartel activity and the violence we are seeing there, we are urging individuals to avoid travel to Mexico at this time."

• More than 550 American citizens remain missing in Mexico.
• New research has also discovered that some pharmacies in Mexico have been selling medications laced with the deadly opioid fentanyl, and methamphetamine, putting consumers at a high risk of overdose and death.

Are you still planning on visiting Mexico for Spring Break?

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Migrants Rushed Border After “Express Asylum” Rumors Circulate

March 13, 2023

• Hundreds of migrants rushed the El Paso-Ciudad Juarez border crossing on March 12 after a rumor circulated that migrants would be allowed into the U.S. the day after two boats carrying migrants capsized off the coast of San Diego, killing eight. 
• The rumor that prompted the rush purported that refugees and asylum seekers would be allowed entry to the U.S. due to a "day of the migrant" exception, with express asylum being offered.
• Two smuggling boats carrying migrants capsized off the coast of San Diego, with eight on board confirmed dead and seven currently missing. There were an estimated twenty-three people on board the two boats.
• Hundreds of maritime smuggling operations take place annually as an alternative to crossing the dangerous land border. Authorities called it one of the deadliest human smuggling operations in U.S. history.

Should the U.S. deny asylum to anyone "circumventing" legal pathways? COMMENT NOW on Biden's proposed rule

 

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Disbanding Jan. 6 Commission, 'Remain in Mexico,' National Abortion Ban: GOP Plans for the House

November 7, 2023

• House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy outlined his plans for if the GOP wins the House in the 2022 midterm election. During an interview with CNN, he revealed that his plan includes tackling inflation, increasing border security, cutting government spending, and more.
• As McCarthy told CNN, security is a main priority of his plan. He mentioned keeping Trump's version of the controversial “Remain in Mexico” policy — a measure created by former President Donald Trump and revised by President Joe Biden that forces migrants to remain in Mexico while they wait for their immigration proceedings in the U.S.
• McCarthy added: 
  
  

“The first thing you’ll see is a bill to control the border first…You’ve got to get control over the border. You’ve had almost 2 million people just this year alone coming across.”

 Do you support or oppose the GOP's plans now that they control the House?

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Gov. DeSantis Sends 50 Migrants to Martha’s Vineyard Unannounced

September 15, 2022

• Florida's Gov. DeSantis sent 50 migrants to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, by plane to push the responsibility for the group onto Massachusetts state authorities.
• Sen. Julian Cyr (D-MA) told the New York Times that the migrants arrived in two planes around 3 p.m. local time. The representative took to Twitter, saying they arrived on a charter flight from Texas and were mostly from Venezuela.
• DeSantis’ communication director, Taryn Fenske, told Fox News:

“Yes, Florida can confirm the two planes with illegal immigrants that arrived in Martha’s Vineyard today were part of the state’s relocation program to transport illegal immigrants to sanctuary destinations.” 

• Rep. Dylan Fernandes (D-MA) tweeted that the community rallied resources to help the migrants and was able to provide housing in a local church. 

 What do you think of DeSantis decision to move migrants to other states?