This coming Thursday, January 4, the Biden administration will reopen four border crossings from Mexico. Specifically, operations will resume at an international bridge in Eagle Pass, Texas; two crossings in Arizona and another near San Diego, California, according to what administration officials told the press on Tuesday under the condition of anonymity.
The authorities justify the reopening of these border crossings since, as they say, the high levels of illegal immigration have decreased and they have managed to free up personnel. However, the truth is that the situation at the border remains uncontrolled after the record numbers of immigrants registered in recent months and throughout 2023. In December, for example, border authorities had serious difficulties managing the entry of immigrants, as apprehensions exceeded 11,000 in a single day.
The decision to reopen these border crossings comes after the closure carried out last Christmas, highly criticized by Mexico, and after the visit of the Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, last week to the Mexican country to address the migration crisis, among other issues.
Meanwhile, lawmakers are still in conversation about a potential deal that would combine increased border security measures with foreign aid, including military funding for Ukraine that the Biden administration is requesting.
"We gotta do something. They ought to give me the money I need to protect the border," President Joe Biden told reporters upon his arrival at the White House on Tuesday night.
