Washington D.C., Jan 9, 2023 / 14:00 pm
During President Joe Biden’s four-hour visit to the U.S.-Mexico border Sunday he spoke with Bishop Mark Seitz of the Diocese of El Paso, Texas, about the effect the Biden administration’s recent crackdown on immigration will have on migrants.
In a press conference after the visit, Seitz, who is chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Migration, said he urged the president to consider the effect of the new policy on those seeking asylum in the U.S.
Biden announced Thursday, ahead of his trip to El Paso, that the U.S. will step up enforcement at the border and begin to turn away Cubans, Nicaraguans, and Haitians who try to cross the U.S.-Mexico border illegally.
The new rules would also allow up to 30,000 people from Cuba, Nicaragua, and Haiti to enter the U.S. legally each month. Migrants would be able to come for two years and receive work authorization, provided they have an eligible sponsor and can pass vetting and background checks.