Biden-Harris Border Security Shift and Its Global Impact

The Biden-Harris administration’s approach to border security represents a significant departure from preceding ones, primarily abandoning traditional deterrence oriented U.S. border control. This change can specifically be seen as part of the broader policy aimed at combatting the background push factors of illegal immigration from Northern Triangle countries. However, its insufficient efficacy regarding the pull factors that influence migration and decision of its administration is claimed to be the primary cause for the upsurge in the illegal flow of immigrants. Currently, the key aspects of the policy in question can be viewed in terms of the administration’s decision to halt the construction and improvement of the border infrastructure, which includes fencing and surveillance systems. Furthermore, the reduced quantity of prosecutions related to illegal entry into the country and the explicitly high number of migrants being allowed to settle in the U.S. also raise questions about how effective these measures are at controlling the process and curbing illegal immigration.

Additionally, on the global scale, this decision to prioritize specific root cause proposals for Northern Triangles countries and reducing the intensity of their official mentions has increased immigration from other nations in the region where the current approach was pursued. In particular, in the case of Venezuela, despite high numbers of out-migration, it is rarely mentioned in the context of U.S. focused causes, and the primary measure enacted, i.e., extension of TPS for Venezuelans, was heavily criticized for being liable to be seen as an invitation, which largely follows the rationale of pull factors pushing migration.