Republicans are framing the situation as a crisis created by Biden, signaling the goal of using his immigration agenda as a political weapon against him in 2022. California Representative Kevin McCarthy, the minority leader, plans to lead other Republicans on a trip. to the border to highlight the problem. Representative James R. Comer, a Kentucky Republican, on Wednesday called the increase in migration a signal “to the world that our immigration laws can be violated with little or no consequence.”
Biden, however, continued to use a Trump-era rule to quickly refuse most migrants on the border, with the exception of unaccompanied minors. The government last week directed shelters designed to retain children to return to their normal capacity despite the coronavirus pandemic.
In the struggle to find additional space for children, the Biden administration is considering hosting them in unused school buildings, military bases and even a NASA site, Moffett Federal Airfield in Mountain View, California, according to a memo obtained by The Times. The NASA site “would remain unoccupied, but available for use if HHS has an urgent need for additional shelter space,” said the memo.
NASA spokesman Darryl Waller confirmed in a statement that the government was considering housing migrant children on “currently vacant properties” there. “This effort will have no impact on NASA’s ability to conduct its primary missions,” he said.
The Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to requests for comment.
Mr. Biden campaigned for a more humane approach to border immigration, which would prioritize investment in Central America to stop illegal immigration. But it had the effect of attracting those fleeing poverty and persecution and seeing a better chance of entering the United States than they had under the Trump administration.
“One of the things that I think is important is that we’ve seen voltage spikes before,” said Jacobson. “Outbreaks tend to respond to hope. And there was significant hope for a more humane policy. “
Part of the Obama administration’s response was the creation of a program that allowed Central American children to apply for protection in their home countries.