Thousands of Africans are flying to Central America in order to travel into the United States illegally by crossing the southern border.
A record number of illegal immigrants have entered America in the last year under President Joe Biden, according to a report from The New York Times. The Times reported on Friday that there were 58,462 Africans apprehended at the southern border in fiscal year 2023 — up from 13,406 in 2022, according to government data.
The 2023 numbers include 15,263 from Mauritania, 13,526 from Senegal, and over 4,000 from Angola and Guinea. These Africans are flying into Central America, many starting in Nicaragua, and then making their way up into America by crossing through Mexico. The influx of Africans is reportedly in part due to some countries in Europe implementing tighter border controls.
It is unclear how exactly all of these migrants are paying for their flights across the Atlantic, as many of them are looking to escape poverty. Some claim they borrow money from friends while others say they sold small businesses. Once they make it to the southern border, many of the illegal migrants are simply released into the United States.
Ira Mehlman, of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, told The Daily Wire that the message has gone out across the world that the American border is open. He said that the Biden administration needed to pursue a policy of deterrence and stop the abuse of the asylum system.
“Everybody around the world got the message: ‘come to the United States illegally, enter a bogus asylum claim, you’ll be released, you’ll be given work authorization within 180 days, you’ll get to remain here, and the longer you’re here the more you can establish other claims to remain here,” he said.
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Illegal border crossings have continued to hit records under President Joe Biden, including an all-time record of 302,000 encounters in December alone. House Speaker Mike Johnson visited the southern border on Wednesday calling on the White House to secure the border.
House Republicans are trying to force the Senate to pass the Secure the Border Act of 2023 before they consider any budget or foreign aid legislation. The bill would require the construction of a border wall and reforms the asylum process, among other border security measures.