Over the weekend Secretary of State Tony Blinken announced the Biden administration has terminated agreements between the United States and northern triangle countries that significantly cut down on asylum fraud, which caused previous illegal immigration crises on the U.S. southern border with Mexico.
"The United States has suspended and initiated the process to terminate the Asylum Cooperative Agreements with the Governments of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras as the first concrete steps on the path to greater partnership and collaboration in the region laid out by President Biden. The termination of these Agreements is effective after the notice period stipulated in each of the Agreements, but their suspension is immediate," Blinken released in a statement over the weekend.
"To be clear, these actions do not mean that the U.S. border is open. While we are committed to expanding legal pathways for protection and opportunity here and in the region, the United States is a country with borders and laws that must be enforced. We are also committed to providing safe and orderly processing for all who arrive at our border, but those who attempt to migrate irregularly are putting themselves and their families at risk on what can be a very dangerous journey," he continued.
Prior to the agreement made with El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, human smuggling and trafficking organizations coached migrants on how to get through the asylum system, despite not qualifying for an asylum designation. This fueled the migrant caravan crisis that started in 2014 and persisted through 2018. New caravans are on the way, citing Biden's lax policies as a justification.
Honduran migrant: President-elect Biden is "going to help all of us." pic.twitter.com/LkrVCsXcSb
— The Hill (@thehill) January 18, 2021
Back in 2019, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham passed legislation out of Committee to close loopholes that fueled asylum fraud.
“I will no longer allow our asylum laws to be exploited by human traffickers, smugglers and cartels,” said Graham. “Cartels, smugglers and human traffickers are profiting off immigrants and helping them take advantage of our broken asylum laws," Graham said at the time. "I will no longer allow the loopholes in our laws to be exploited. I will not aid and abet these horrific practices. My bill fixes these problems."