Rio GrandeValley officials have asked President Joe Biden to come to visit the region, and they hope he does so before he makes any new major policy decisions regarding our nation’s immigration policy.
It’s a good idea — but only if the president uses such a visit to talk with, and listen to, local officials and residents who are directly affected by those policies. What we don’t need is just another politician who makes a quick trip here only to use the Valley as a backdrop for photo ops and speeches promoting preconceived notions and pre-made plans.
We need objective, interested officials who are willing to take the time needed to talk to people who live and work on the border, those who are most directly affected by the current immigration status, our immigration policy and any changes that might be made. Given the volatile nature of our immigration debate and the biases and motives of those who discuss the topic more than 1,500 miles away at our nation’s capital, it’s hard to know how accurate the information is that the administration receives.
Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez wrote Biden a letter on May 2, asking him to come to the Valley before making any final decision to lift restrictions on immigration based on Title 42 of the U.S. Code. The Trump administration invoked that measure, which allows the government to avoid a threat to public health, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently announced that the pandemic has subsided to levels low enough to make Title 42 unnecessary, and that the restrictions would be lifted May 23.
That announcement comes at a time when many people are seeking entry into our country, in addition to those who have been waiting at the border for the restrictions to be lifted. The Department of Homeland Security estimates that when the restrictions are lifted, some 18,000 people will seek entry visas every day.
Such numbers would overwhelm our ports of entry, and the communities at those crossings.
Officials who comprise the Texas Border Coalition joined Cortez on May 5, sending their own letter asking Biden to visit the area before making major immigration decisions. It’s certainly a valid request.
If he accepts the offer, the president could learn firsthand if our bridges can handle such a daily influx. He can talk to those would process the requests and the migrants, both at immigration offices and centers that assist them, such as Catholic Charities. Will detention centers need to be reopened? Let him tour one or more to see what conditions await the migrants. What resources will be needed to meet their needs for food, security and health? If those needs can’t be met, can Title 42 be extended to protect the migrants’ own health?
Biden should be better able to consider such decisions if he sees the situation firsthand and talks to those who will be directly involved in carrying them out.
If the president is willing to obtain the information he needs to make the best decisions, then he’s certainly welcome here. If he’s only willing to speechify in front of a chosen backdrop, such a visit probably won’t do much good.
