Migration News

Fact checking Biden on migrant surge during first news conference
Jane C. Timm, NBC News
President Joe Biden defended his administration's handling of a surge in undocumented migrant children arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border Thursday, arguing that the influx happens "every single solitary year." “The truth of the matter is, nothing has changed," he told reporters at the White House, who pressed him on whether his election had drawn more migrants to the southern border. Biden also sought to cast blame on former President Donald Trump, arguing that his predecessor's policies hamstrung U.S. efforts to effectively address the challenges. Here's what Biden said, and the facts.

Two big factors are making things worse at the border. But they're not getting much attention
Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN
The devastating storms struck more than 1,000 miles away from the US-Mexico border, wiping out homes, crops and jobs. Now, months later, some migrants hoping to start over in the United States say the hurricanes are a big reason behind their decision to head north. "The house fell down all around us. Thank God my mom survived," a teenager from Guatemala tearfully told CNN as he took his first steps in the United States. "You always dream about living in a house with your children. Now we have nothing," a Honduran mother said from a bus station in Brownsville, Texas, after crossing the border with her 6-year-old daughter.

Biden in Talks With Mexico on Migrants, Expects to Stem Flow
Jordan Fabian, Bloomberg
President Joe Biden expressed confidence that Mexico will accept families arriving at the U.S. border, while defending his administration’s approach to the surge in migration, pinning some of the blame on former President Donald Trump. Thousands of families from Mexico and Central America have traveled to the southern border in recent weeks in the hope of being allowed to stay, contributing to the spike. While the Biden administration has said families are being expelled under a public-health order invoked by Trump during the pandemic, an increasing number have remained in the U.S., officials have said, because Mexico has been unwilling to receive them.

Cuban immigrant drowns attempting to swim around border fence that extends into ocean
Salvador Rivera, WKBN.com
A Cuban national died Wednesday night while trying to enter the U.S. by swimming around the border barrier that stretches into the ocean between Tijuana and San Diego. This is the second person who has drowned in this area in less than two weeks. The other was a woman from Central America. The latest victim was described as a man between 30 and 40 years of age.

Nevada group calls for state legislators to pass bill that supports immigrant workers
Marcella Corona, Reno Gazette Journal
The Nevada Immigrant Coalition is calling for the Nevada Legislature to pass the Keep Nevada Working Act, which it says supports the contributions of immigrant workers and entrepreneurs who are helping the economy recover in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The organization — comprised of various others such as the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, Mi Familia Vota and ACLU of Nevada — announced Tuesday it supports Assemblywoman Selena Torres, D-Las Vegas, for introducing Assembly Bill 376.

Asian American businesses are defending themselves against rise in anti-Asian violence
Tracy Jan, The Washington Post
Asian-owned restaurants, salons and shops rapidly lost business at the start of the pandemic because of racial stigma, fueled by President Donald Trump’s repeated references to the coronavirus as the “Chinese virus” and “Kung flu.” Now, community leaders warn that the racism targeting these businesses could hamper the country’s economic recovery from the coronavirus-induced recession.

A new analysis shows no migrant “surge” or border “crisis.” Here’s how often broadcast news has said there is one.
Matt Gertz, Media Matters
Major news outlets have frequently adopted the GOP narrative that a “surge” of migrants across the U.S. border with Mexico is causing a “crisis.” ABC, CBS, and NBC used such language to describe the situation along the border at least 138 times on their morning and evening news shows since January 1, according to a Media Matters review. But a new analysis published by The Washington Post on Tuesday finds that the recent increase in migrant apprehensions along the southern border is not a “surge” or a “crisis,” but the seasonal bump typically seen this time of year, likely heightened by people who waited to cross last year due to the pandemic.