President Biden on Friday spoke out against against the widely-criticized tactics used by U.S. Border Patrol agents to corral migrants, in some ways addressing the administration's immediate PR problem but not quite tackling the larger issue concerning immigration advocates.
The most pressing pain point for advocates is the administration's continued use of Title 42, "a Trump-era order that, ostensibly due to the pandemic, allows immigration officials to quickly deport people crossing the border, typically without giving them a chance to apply for asylum," writes HuffPost. But as of late, the conversation has focused mostly on the border agents — and criticism of that shifting spotlight has grown.
Biden vowed Friday that the agents responsible for the disturbing videos and images "will pay," adding that "there is an investigation underway right now and there will be consequences." The president also said he takes responsibility for the chaos at the border — but that still does not address Title 42.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
On Friday afternoon, Department of Homeland Secrurity Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas confirmed that "there are no longer any migrants in the camp underneath the Del Rio International Bridge," per Bloomberg.
When asked if sending Haitians migrants back to Haiti under Title 42-driven expulsions would be considered "immoral," Mayorkas replied "no" because "we are doing this out of a public health need. ... It is not an immigration policy that we would embrace," per Newsweek. He also reiterated his condemnation of the images of agents on horseback, and gave an update on the investigation into the matter.
-
Savages: a tragi-comedy set in a 'quirky handcrafted world'The Week Recommends This new animated film by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Claude Barras is undeniably political, but it has a hopeful message
-
Why 'faceless bots' are interviewing job huntersIn The Spotlight Artificial intelligence is taking over a crucial part of recruitment
-
Who will win the battle for the soul of the Green Party?An ideological divide is taking root among the environmentalists
-
ICE scraps age limits amid hiring pushSpeed Read Anyone 18 or older can now apply to be an ICE agent
-
Trump's global tariffs take effect, with new additionsSpeed Read Tariffs on more than 90 US trading partners went into effect, escalating the global trade war
-
House committee subpoenas Epstein filesSpeed Read The House Oversight Committee has issued a subpoena to the Justice Department for its Jeffrey Epstein files with an Aug. 19 deadline
-
'Discriminating against DACA students'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
India rejects Trump threat over Russian oilSpeed Read The president said he would raise tariffs on India for buying and selling Russian oil
-
NY's Hochul vows response to Texas gerrymanderSpeed Read Gov. Kathy Hochul has promised to play ball with redistricting that favors the Democrats
-
Texas Democrats exit state to block redistricting voteSpeed Read More than 51 legislators fled the state in protest of the GOP's plan to redraw congressional districts
-
Trump criticized for firing BLS chief after jobs reportSpeed Read Bureau of Labor Statistics chief Erika McEntarfer oversaw a July jobs report that the president claims was rigged
