Southern Border Coordinator Roberta Jacobson said Wednesday that it was not an “accidental” attempt to cross the border after President Biden took office.
Asked if increases at the border could be linked to Biden’s repeal of the Trump-era border policy, Jacobson said: “We’ve seen congestion before. Trainings tend to respond to hope, and there was significant hope. on a more humane policy after four years of pent-up demand.
“There was hope for a more humane policy after four years of pent-up demand, so I do not know if I would mention it by chance,” said Jacobson, who spoke at the White House daily briefing. “But the idea that a more humane policy would exist may have driven people to make the decision, but perhaps, more importantly, it has certainly driven smugglers to express disinformation, to spread disinformation about what was now possible,” said Jacobson, who also serves as the president’s special assistant, told reporters. She was also ambassador to Mexico from 2016 to 2018.
Smugglers, sometimes known as ‘coyotes’, are known for attracting migrants across the border, promising few consequences.
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Jacobson said the White House is trying to balance better policies and messages. She reiterates the regular message from the Biden government that now is not the time to come to the US
“We’re trying to walk and chew gum at the same time. We’re trying to tell everyone in the region that we’ll have legal processes in the future … But at the same time, you can not come by irregular means,” Jacobson said.
“The border is not open,” Jacobson added in Spanish.
The southern border coordinator said Biden, with a $ 4 billion plan, hopes to tackle immigration as a major issue and work to make Latin American countries safer and more prosperous. The money is requested through the foreign aid package.
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She also said Biden plans to launch the Central American Minority Program, which will enable minors in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras to apply for refugees in the U.S. from their home countries.
Increasing numbers of migrants suggest that the increase in migrants could be in danger of becoming a tidal wave by the time the peak migration season is later this year. In the border crisis of 2019, the peak was in May when agents encountered 144,000 migrants. In February of that year, the fear in January was 76,000 and 57,000.
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The government has ended policies such as the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) that kept migrants south of the border while they waited for their hearings, as well as asylum agreements with Northern Triangle countries. It also narrowed the immigration and customs enforcement priorities (ICE) for arrests and deportations. But Title 42, instituted by Trump amid the coronavirus pandemic, still remains in force. It provides for the rapid expulsion of migrants at the border under the public health emergency.
Fox News’ Adam Shaw contributed to this report.