The Biden Administration Considers the Possibility of Housing Migrant Families in Texas

The Biden administration is considering a change that would require migrant families who entered the U.S. illegally to stay near the Texas border while their asylum application is being vetted, as reported by the Los Angeles Times on Thursday.

This change is being considered in response to the large number of families that crossed the border in July. While the Border Patrol reported over 60,000, The Washington Post stated that the number was closer to 91,000 families, which would be a record.

By tracking and restricting their movements within the country, the administration could quickly deport those families who fail the asylum screening, according to the report by the LA Times. This could also serve as a deterrent.

The motivation for this program, apart from the sheer numbers, is that it is difficult to round up and deport families in the interior of the country, as reported by the Times.

Federal officials would use GPS monitoring devices to track the migrants and collaborate with local organizations to provide housing while they wait for their hearing. Other border states, not just Texas, are also being considered.

Under the current program, Family Expedited Removal Management (FERM) imposes curfews and tracks migrant families as they travel freely to major cities. The Biden administration had hoped that this alone would deter families from crossing the border.

The focus would primarily be on Central American families, given their proximity to the U.S. and the ease of deporting large numbers.

“DHS continuously holds policy and operational discussions on how to leverage our authorities to ensure a fair, humane, and effective immigration process that efficiently removes those without a lawful basis to stay in the country,” said a spokesperson from the Department of Homeland Security, as quoted by the Times.

If implemented, this policy would resemble the Reagan administration’s attempt in the late 1980s to require applying for asylum where individuals crossed the border and waiting there for the asylum process to unfold.