Can 2024 see an end to the US-Mexico migrant crisis?

In recent news, multiple reports have highlighted that US officials processed an estimated 300,000 people at the US-Mexico border in the last month of 2023 – potentially the highest number ever recorded. The Department of Homeland Security is yet to release the numbers.

The estimates have come as the US enters a presidential election year, a period expected to see the topic of immigration in the limelight. President Joe Biden – the one likely to receive the Democratic nomination – has regarded immigrants as strengths of the nation.

‘Push’ and ‘pull’ factors behind US-Mexico migrant crisis

But he has also taken steps to curb the ongoing influx. Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump – the one likely to grab the Republican nomination – has long advocated for stricter control on immigration and used controversial language to describe the immigrants.

Experts have blamed multiple factors for the chaos. The director of communications and public affairs for the Migration Policy Institute, Michelle Mittelstadt, has highlighted multiple reasons behind the current circumstances, according to VOA.

The expert has raised concerns over ‘push’ and ‘pull’ factors. She said several migrants arriving at the border have been “pushed” out of their own countries by economic and political disturbances, natural disasters and other crises.

On the other hand, multiple factors contribute to “pull” thousands of people to the US, including the potential of the country’s economy. It has been estimated that every American seeking work currently has a couple of open jobs.

Furthermore, the possibility that Trump might get re-elected in 2024 has encouraged a good number of migrants from across the globe to try to cross the border before tighter immigration measures can be put in place.

US-Mexico talks yielding “important agreements”

Overall, it appears the US system for processing asylum claims is deeply broken. People admitted to the country while their claims are assessed are frequently required to wait several years before they receive a hearing in an immigration court.

Last week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken led a US delegation to neighbouring Mexico for discussions with the administration of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on reducing the influx. In a statement, the Mexican side said the talks yielded “important agreements”.