Did you know that the Trump administration shut down all of our offices and programs throughout South America during his last week in office, which prevented asylum seekers from applying for asylum in their own country? This measure aimed to eliminate the need for them to travel all the way to the southern border. Furthermore, these changes were made permanent, contributing significantly to the border crisis we see today.
That’s right; that is exactly what happened. The programs were initially established under Obama and Bush and were even strengthened under Trump to prevent caravans. However, in 2017, Trump temporarily paused the programs leading up to the 2018 midterm elections, creating caravans that the GOP could use as a tool in their attempt to win the midterms. After the 2018 election, the Trump administration promptly reinstated the programs and took quick credit for resolving the border crisis at the time.
Due to the Trump administration making these closures permanent during their last week in office, it could take years to reinstate those programs.
Joe Biden has raised this issue several times, but it should receive much more attention from the media.
