More than 200,000 migrants processed at U.S. southern border in September

U.S. Border Patrol records show that they apprehended approximately 210,000 people who entered the country without authorization between ports of entry last month. This is the highest number recorded in 2023 and was up from 181,000 apprehensions in August.

These numbers highlight the ongoing struggle the Biden administration faces in its development of an appropriate strategy for immigration at the southern border. "We are clear eyed, however, that there is no long-term solution to the challenges we are seeing at our border that does not involve the U.S. Congress modernizing our hopelessly outdated immigration and asylum system," the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a statement.

Biden administration waived 26 federal laws to allow border wall construction

President Biden uses his executive power to waive federal laws in order to allow the construction of border barriers in Starr County in South Texas. DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas stated that the waiving of the laws is necessary in order to address an “acute and immediate need” to prevent unlawful entries into the U.S. at the areas of construction.

This action contradicts the Biden administration’s prior proclamation to end the construction of barriers because “building a massive wall that spans the entire southern border is not a serious policy solution.”

Many Cuban migrants are being given paperwork that makes them ineligible for citizenship

For almost 60 years, Cuban migrants have been able to become permanent residents of the U.S. under the Cuban Adjustment Act. Recently, however, border agents have been releasing individuals from Cuba with I-220A documents, forms given to people released from custody that put them in deportation proceedings. This makes Cuban migrants who receive such forms ineligible for citizenship under the act. 

Some immigration judges had been granting green cards to Cubans with 1-220A forms, but the Board of Immigration Appeals ruled last month that Cubans released with these forms do not qualify for permanent residency. This decision can only be overturned by a federal court or a U.S attorney general. Cubans who have received the forms have had to resort to requesting asylum in order to stay in the country, a long and complicated process with no assurance that the request would be granted.