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U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas denied the U.S. has imposed a ban on asylum-seekers, but he also emphasized that there is a lawful and orderly way to reach the U.S.
VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias has the details.]]
Content TypeProgram
LanguageEnglish
Transcript/ScriptWASHINGTON WEEK AHEAD))
HEADLINE: Mayorkas: No Asylum Ban, But Lawful Pathways Incentivized
TEASER: Border Patrol sees 50 percent drop in migrants encountered at southern border
PUBLISHED AT: 05/14/2023 at 3:08 pm
BYLINE: Veronica Balderas Iglesias
CONTRIBUTOR
DATELINE:
VIDEOGRAPHER:
VIDEO EDITOR: Marcus Harton
SCRIPT EDITORS: Page, SV
VIDEO SOURCE (S): Agencies, see script for others
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO __
TRT: 3:05
VID APPROVED BY: mia
TYPE:
EDITOR NOTES: Radio Tracks for Reversioning Included))
((TV INTRO))
[[U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas denied the U.S. has imposed a ban on asylum-seekers, but he also emphasized that there is a lawful and orderly way to reach the U.S. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias has the details.]]
((VIDEO: CBP agents, patrols and border AFP V000_33EW3QR))
((NARRATOR))
The U.S Customs and Border Patrol has seen an almost 50% drop in migrants encountered at the southern border in the past couple of days. That’s compared to numbers seen right before the pandemic-era policy known as Title 42 came to an end Thursday, said the Secretary of Homeland Security during an interview with ABC’s “This Week.”
((VIDEO ABC’s “This Week”))
((SOT TC in approx. 1:26))
((Alejandro Mayorkas, Homeland Security Secretary))
“We’ve already removed thousands of people who have arrived at our southern border. We have or we are enforcing our traditional immigration enforcement authorities under Title 8 of the United States Code.”
((VIDEO: AP 4434324 Several documents, border crossing, email about asylum, close-up border))
((NARRATOR))
Mayorkas emphasized that the expansion of lawful pathways under President Joe Biden is unprecedented. He also rejected claims there’s a ban on asylum-seekers.
((VIDEO ABC’s “This Week”))
((SOT TC in approx. 6:09))
((Alejandro Mayorkas, Homeland Security Secretary))
“What our rule provides is that an individual must access those lawful pathways, that we have made available to them. If they have not, then they must have sought relief in one of the countries through which they have traveled and been denied. And if they haven't done either, it's not a ban on asylum, but they have a higher threshold of proof that they have to meet.”
((VIDEO: Migrants crossing Rio Bravo, Migrant with Venezuelan flag REUTERS · USN: WD187512052023RP1
· ID: tag:reuters.com,2023:newsml_WD187512052023RP1:11))
((NARRATOR))
Whether the new policies will discourage illegal entries into the United States, is something that Republican Representative Michael McCaul told ABC he is skeptical about.
((VIDEO ABC’s “This Week”))
((SOT TC in approx. 0:18 ))
((Rep. Michael McCaul, Republican))
“I do think there are caravans going up, I think they still want to get in. Like, [the] governor of my own state has put [the] Texas National Guard and DHS CBP troops on the border to stop the influx. But yeah, the fact is the last two and a half years speak for themselves. We had 5 million people enter this country illegally, 1.5 getaways. It's unsustainable.”
((VIDEO: AP 4434437 La bestia train and Venezuelan migrants))
((NARRATOR)) Migrants are often forced to flee after facing horrific crimes in their home countries, argues law professor Blaine Bookey.
((SOT REUTERS · USN: WD207312052023RP1
· ID: tag:reuters.com,2023:newsml_WD207312052023RP1:8))
20. (SOUNDBITE) (English)
((Blaine Bookey, University of California College of Law, San Francisco))
"So, we see just extremely high rates of violence. And that's really why people are continuing the journey where they can get to a country where they actually find safety, and in many instances reunify with family."
((VIDEO: AP 4434317 APP close-up and tents))
((NARRATOR))
There’s a good chance that the new legal pathways that the Biden administration is betting on could help deter illegal crossings, but it could also go the other way if the root causes aren’t addressed, warned analyst Peter Margulies.
((SOT: REUTERS · USN: WD207312052023RP1))
24. (SOUNDBITE) (English)
((Peter Margulies, Analyst))
“That is, the factors in folks home countries, for example, in Central America, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, that lead people to need to leave. And those include economic factors, climate change and the threat of violence.”
((VIDEO: Soldiers and migrants AFP V000_33EW2DH))
((NARRATOR))
U.S. authorities concede that a surge of undocumented immigrants could still materialize in the coming days, even as five-year bans and criminal prosecution are now in the cards for those who seek to defy the law.
((VIDEO: Official with patrol, several of border and migrants REUTERS · USN: WD207512052023RP1
· ID: tag:reuters.com,2023:newsml_WD207512052023RP1:6))
((Veronica Balderas Iglesias, VOA News, Washington.)
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
Program NameBorder Crossings
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)
Washington D.C.
Embargo DateMay 14, 2023 16:32 EDT
Byline
Veronica Balderas Iglesias, VOA News
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
