One of the most controversial changes in U.S. immigration policy since January 2021 has been allowing undocumented immigrants to enter the United States without an expulsion. The policy change even went so far as to send detainees to other regions of the nation like Pennsylvania under the dark of night using government planes and the commercial bus system. The complaints logged against this policy have finally taken hold with the Biden Administration, now resulting in the executive order to once again turn them away as they arrive as was the Trump Administration policy.
USCIS system stress
Those who were making the trek to the southern United States border were clearly informed of the change in policy well before the transition to the administration. The caravans made nightly news in the United States for several months. The question was what to do with them upon arrival because the policy going forward was still unclear. It would surely put stress on the system to handle so many immigrants at a time that the process was still uncertain. It appears now that system stress was the immigration issue fueling the abrupt change in policy.
How the change affects immigrants
The change will do more than impact the number of undocumented immigrants allowed in the United States. It will also trigger a return cycle that could create problems for the immigrants themselves who have made the trip thinking they would be allowed in to seek political asylum from their home country. While it is still unclear how they were notified and who helped them reach the U.S. border, returning home will be even more uncertain.
This is assuredly also a dilemma for the Central American countries that have allowed the migrants to pass through their region on the way to the United States. It still remains to be seen how the groups who have helped them will step in to help rectify their situation.