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New Mexico Comunidades en Acción y de Fe (CAFé), a southern New Mexico community organization that advocates around poverty and justice, condemned an executive order that significantly restricts the ability of people fleeing violence and oppression and seeking entrance into the U.S. via its southern ports.
The order comes as the election between President Joe Biden and Donald Trump ramps up. It drew skepticism from right-wing groups who question its effectiveness while drawing condemnation from border organizations that work with people seeking asylum.
“Deterrence measures that have been attempted or implemented by past administrations have failed, and they will continue to fail. The Biden administration continues to ignore those failed lessons from its past predecessors,” NM CAFé said in a statement. “There has been a historic disregard for those of us that live, breathe, and dwell along this border. Nobody asks our people or in general those who are directly impacted by ever changing immigration and border policies what they need or what they want for a cohesive humanitarian response to the border militarization on the U.S. side of the border.”
The order also comes as people continue to die in the desert, attempting to cross into the U.S. On the first weekend in June, the U.S. Border Patrol in El Paso reported four heat-related deaths in the desert area around Santa Teresa. And things may get worse if 2024 is like 2023.
The heat waves last year contributed to the deadliest year for migrant crossings. According to border patrol, 148 people succumbed during weeks of 100-degree temperatures.
"The desert environment is extremely unforgiving, especially during the summer months," El Paso Border Patrol Chief Anthony "Scott" Good said in a statement this year. "We urge anyone considering crossing illegally to understand the severe risks involved. Our agents are working tirelessly to save lives. But the best way to stay safe is not to attempt an illegal crossing."
The situation is not restricted to El Paso or southern Doña Ana County. Border Servants Corps, an organization that assists migrants in Las Cruces, set a new record for single-day arrivals in April. That month, the organization assisted 7,978 people who entered the U.S. Of that figure, 3,228 were children.
What does Biden’s order do?
Biden’s order would prevent migrants from being granted asylum when U.S. officials decide the border is overwhelmed. The status of “overwhelmed” can be reduced when average daily arrests for illegal crossings fall below 1,500 for a week. According to Border Patrol, the last time arrests were that low was in July 2020 – deep in the throes of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“There continues to be a significant disconnect between our southwest border communities and those on the East Coast in Washington D.C.; who continue to make punitive decisions without thinking about who it’s truly going to affect. We bet that most elected officials in Washington D.C. don’t even know about the in-state border patrol checkpoints in Southern New Mexico that continue to racially profile and impact the ability of our people to move about freely here on a daily basis,” NM CAFé stated.
The policy is similar to a Trump-era ban that the American Civil Liberties Union successfully challenged.
“The ACLU will challenge this in court. It was illegal under Trump, and it's illegal now,” a statement from the ACLU of New Mexico said in a statement.
