Border Patrol Faces Challenges In Implementing Asylum Ban

A Border Patrol agent releases migrants at a San Diego transit center in San Diego, Calif., Thursday, June 6, 2024. President Joe Biden has suspended asylum processing at the U.S. border under a new p

Following President Joe Biden's suspension of asylum processing at the U.S. border with Mexico, Gerardo Henao was arrested by the Border Patrol 14 hours later. However, due to logistical challenges, he was released at a San Diego bus stop the next day. Henao, a Colombian jewelry business owner fleeing extortion, faced limited deportation flights to his home country.

The new policy, effective Wednesday, includes exceptions for operational considerations, recognizing constraints in deporting individuals from various regions like South America, Asia, Africa, and Europe. While thousands have been deported under the ban, challenges persist in deporting migrants from certain countries.

Henao, 59, was informed about the ban upon his arrest and was released with a court appearance order. Many migrants from countries like China, India, Colombia, and Ecuador were also released that day, with instructions to head to the airport.

Under the measure, asylum is suspended when daily illegal crossings reach 2,500, and it ends when the average drops below 1,500 for a week. Border officials prioritize detaining migrants based on ease of deportation and nationality challenges.

New policy suspends asylum processing at 2,500 daily illegal crossings.

Gerardo Henao released at San Diego bus stop due to deportation flight limitations.

Exceptions made for operational considerations and nationality challenges.

Deportation flights primarily to Guatemala and Honduras, limited to other countries.

Resource limitations and diplomatic hurdles hinder deportations to uncooperative countries.

Deportation challenges for African and Chinese migrants due to limited removal flights.

Mexico remains the easiest for removals, but its share of border arrests decreases.

Theresa Cardinal Brown, from the Bipartisan Policy Center, highlighted resource limitations and diplomatic hurdles in deportations to uncooperative countries. ICE conducted 679 deportation flights from January to May, with a majority to Guatemala and Honduras. Flights to countries like Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru were relatively low despite significant illegal entries.

Deportation challenges are amplified for African and Chinese migrants, with limited removal flights recorded. Mexico remains the easiest for removals, but its share of border arrests has decreased over the years. Some countries resist accepting deportees to avoid capacity strains.

Corey Price, former ICE official, emphasized the need for countries' agreement in deportations to prevent overwhelming them. The complexities in deportation logistics continue to pose challenges for the Biden administration's immigration policies.