Mass influx of migrants at the US border: authorities ask volunteers for help

Homeland Security Chief Alejandro Mallorcas has asked DHS staff to volunteer to help deal with the "overwhelming" number of migrants at the border while the administration deals with the growing crisis. It is reported by Fox News.

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“Today I activated the Volunteer Force to support Customs and Border Protection (CBP) as they face a surge in migration along the southwest border,” Mayorkas said in an email to employees on Monday, March 8.

“You've probably seen the news about the overwhelming number of migrants seeking access to this country along the southwest border,” he said. “President Biden and I are committed to ensuring our country has a safe, orderly, and humane immigration system while continuing to balance all of DHS’s other important missions.”

The volunteers will not be used in law enforcement: their responsibilities will include property management, food preparation, prescription drug delivery, housekeeping and assistance in control rooms.

Mallorcas noted that volunteer forces were used during the border crisis in the spring and summer in 2019.

“In 2019, more than 900 volunteers were deployed to support their CBP colleagues during a similar surge in migration,” Mayorkas said. “Please consider joining the Volunteer Force to once again provide essential humanitarian support along the southwest border and assistance to our CBP colleagues.”

On the subject: Trump and Biden exchanged barbs over immigration policy

This is the latest sign that the administration is preparing for a migrant crisis similar to the one the country faced in 2019, when it peaked with more than 140 arrests per month. Border numbers for February will be announced at a later date and are expected to increase significantly from January.

The Trump administration has taken a number of safeguards to tackle the 2019 crisis and end the push for migrants north. Although critics have called many of these measures harsh, the number of migrants has declined sharply and the practice of “arrest and release” by which migrants were released into the interior has largely ceased.

However, the Biden administration influenced many of the Trump-era rules, including the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPPs), which keep migrants in Mexico, and agreements with countries in the Northern Triangle. The administration is also grappling with a sharp spike in migration in recent weeks, especially among unaccompanied children and families. The crisis has been exacerbated by the Mexican government's refusal to accept families with children in some cases in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the administration has begun releasing families to the hinterland, it is opening migrant centers for both families and unaccompanied children, and is also considering using a military base in Virginia to house migrant children. In addition, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told agencies that they could be 100% open.

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Meanwhile, on Saturday, March 6, senior administration officials arrived at the border to brief President Biden this week.

Mallorcas described the influx at the border as "overwhelming" a week after he said there was no border crisis.

“I think the answer is no. I think there is a problem at the border that we manage and we have the resources dedicated to solving it,” he said.

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