Today, Explained - “Bringing the border to Biden”

Episode Date: September 12, 2022

Texas and Arizona's governors are giving migrants bus tickets to the capital. The mayor of Washington, DC, says it’s causing a humanitarian crisis in the city — and that the White House isn’t helping. This episode was reported and produced by Haleema Shah, edited by Matt Collette, fact-checked by Victoria Dominguez and Serena Solin, engineered by Efim Shapiro and Paul Robert Mounsey, and hosted by Noel King. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained   Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The governors of Texas and Arizona, Greg Abbott and Doug Ducey, are spending millions of dollars to make a point. There are too many migrants arriving in their towns and cities, they say. They can't handle all of them. And so... We're sending the border to Biden and his administration so they can begin to grapple with the challenges that we're dealing with. They're giving recent arrivals free bus tickets and sending them to points north. Chicago, Washington, D.C., New York. This has caused some amount of chaos for those cities and for the new arrivals. And just last week, it forced Washington, D.C.'s mayor Muriel Bowser to declare a public emergency and to create an Office for Migrant Affairs, which is something much more commonly seen in places like San Antonio and San Diego near the border. We're not a border town. And so what we're doing today is a new normal for us.

We have to have an infrastructure in place that allows us to deal with the border crisis that has visited us in Washington, D.C. Coming up on Today Explained. This NFL season, get in on all the hard-hitting action with FanDuel, North America's number one sportsbook. You can bet on anything from money lines to spreads and player props, or combine your bets in a same-game parlay for a shot at an even bigger payout.

Plus, with super-simple live betting, lightning-fast bet settlement, and instant withdrawals, FanDuel makes betting on the NFL easier than ever before. So make the most of this football season and download FanDuel today. 19-plus and physically located in Ontario. Gambling problem? Call 1-866-531-2600 or visit connectsontario.ca. It's Today Explained. I'm Noelle King. Halima Shah, Today Explained senior reporter and producer. You went looking into the reasons that governors Abbott and Ducey are doing this. What is happening? They say they don't like Joe Biden's immigration policies,

and so they're basically trying to stick it to him. The Biden administration has been dumping off these migrants by the hundreds in local communities that do not have the ability to take care or deal with these migrants that are being dropped off. They claim Biden has an open border policy that's causing chaos at the U.S.-Mexico border. There definitely isn't an open border policy, but the Biden administration does want to lift Title 42.

And this is the public health order that went into effect under President Trump. And it allows border officials to turn migrants, including those who say they want asylum, away in the name of COVID-19 precautions. And since it went into effect two years ago, there have been over a million migrant expulsions. So if Biden lifts that policy, which Republicans really don't want him to do, officials would lose the legal justification to send migrants back to Mexico or their home countries. And there could be a big increase in arrivals at the border. You went to see some of these arrivals, the buses coming into D.C., the people getting off of them. What does it look like?

On a Thursday morning at about 6 a.m., I saw this huge coach bus that said, pull into a parking lot in front of Union Station, right across from the Capitol building. When the bus stopped, I saw about 50 people get off, and then the bus pulled away almost as quickly as it had arrived. The people I saw were mostly single men and boys who got off. There were some women and families who had children and babies. I even saw somebody, you know, snap a picture of the Capitol on their phone.

No one there really had that much. At the most, I saw somebody with a clear plastic bag. It held one of those emergency silver thermal blankets and a snack. And this is right near the U.S. Capitol. Who's there to greet them? Are there government representatives? No, I mainly met community volunteers. And the groups at the forefront of this have been the Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network and another group called Sanctuary DMV.

But what I saw last month could change now that the mayor has declared a public emergency to government presence were workers from the emergency relief nonprofit called SAMU, which has a FEMA grant. After greeting the migrants, I saw a SAMU worker ask the group if they were planning to travel beyond D.C. Almost everyone raised their hand. That's pretty typical. Only 10 to 15 percent of the migrants that actually arrive in D.C. stay here. That's what the volunteers told me. And then I saw a second bus arrive.

About 30 more people got off. They just arrived, so what we do here is, like, welcoming them and then... This is Diana Fula. She works with a local immigrant nonprofit and volunteers here. We're going to try to get to the church where they can change. If we have some clothes and shoes, we will have, like, food for them so they can eat something and rest a little bit. Volunteers almost immediately started counting off migrants and organizing them into cars or vans to get to a nearby church.

They are coming with me because I have four spots on my car. We're trying to give priority to families and kids to use our cars. And there is another group that is going to walk, like 20, 30 minutes from here walking. What's it like inside the church where Diane is bringing them? The migrants are basically sent into the church basement. And inside the basement, there are bins of donated clothing for kids, for adults, and there's also diapers and toiletries. There's also a hot breakfast waiting for them. There's now 80 migrants here, and most of them have not had a hot meal since they got on to the

bus. Jessica, who is a volunteer that you heard welcoming the migrants outside the bus, and she said it's really hard to know how many migrants to prepare breakfast for because the numbers are always changing. We never know exactly how many people will come because they're allowed to get off once they leave the state of Texas. And so they can get off a different spot. So sometimes the numbers are different than what we expect. We had people arrive last night. It was only 19 on the bus. The most I've seen is six buses in a 24-hour period. How do you know a bus is coming in? We have contact with some organizations where someone gives us a little information.

The frustrating thing is it's like the design of this is that they won't tell us officially, and so that is not an accident. They're trying to create chaos here to prove a political point. So we get a little bit of information fed to us, but not through official channels. So after getting a hot meal and their essentials, migrants can kind of get onto the Wi-Fi here at the church and call home. They can talk to volunteers about getting a train ticket to their final destination, a place that they actually have friends and family waiting for them.

When things finally settled down, I was able to talk to a family of four that was at the church. There's a dad, the mom, their daughter, and their two-year-old. Their journey started in Colombia, and they crossed the U.S.-Mexico border less than a week earlier, and this is why they decided to get on the bus from Texas. Jamie said they have friends in New York who are going to give the family a place to stay till they get on their feet.

It's good that they have a place to go. How was their journey from Colombia to the U.S.? It was very difficult. Carlos said the hardest part of the journey was actually in Mexico because the country's military is really cracking down on migrants. He even took his shoe off and showed it to me, and I saw that the side of his foot and heel had turned blue and purple. I think it was because of the walking, because of walking so much.

Since I would keep walking with my swollen feet, they would get worse. In fact, my other foot is the same. There is often a need for medical care when migrants arrive in D.C., and that's something the new Office of Migrant Services is supposed to provide. I also asked the family why they're seeking asylum, and Carlos said they received some kind of threat from an armed group when they were living in Colombia. Are most of the people you met coming from Colombia or are they coming from all over Central and South America? The largest group is actually from Venezuela.

There are people coming from Colombia as well as Cuba and Nicaragua. So this wave of migration is actually not from Central America as we saw in past waves. Most of these people are coming from South America and the Caribbean, which means that their journeys are longer and harder. And when they get here, their immigration status is uncertain. They want asylum and they've been admitted to the U.S. But at some point in the next few years, they're going to have to stand before an immigration judge and make the case that they should not be sent back home. Do the migrants coming in on the buses understand what the governors of Texas and Arizona are doing? There's been a lot of reporting on this, and a lot of people feel like the state of Texas has

been so generous to them by giving them this free ride to the East Coast where they have family or friends. The migrants I spoke to, once they've spent a little bit of time in D.C., have talked to the volunteers, then they start to understand that they're basically being shipped to another part of the country because the governor of Texas doesn't want them there. So the target of this is President Biden. Governor Abbott has made that clear. Has Biden said anything at all? I did reach out to the White House for comment, and a spokesman, Abdullah Hassan, said this in a written statement. As we have said repeatedly, there is a process in place to manage migrants at the border. And Republican governors meddling in that process and using desperate migrants as political tools is shameful and it is wrong. He added that the White House will continue

to support migrants by giving FEMA grants to cities. But it's really been the mayors of D.C. and New York City who've gotten into a public war of words with Abbott. It's unimaginable that what the governor of Texas has done. When you think about this country, a country that has always been open to those who were fleeing persecution and other — And for months, the mayors have said that they are overburdened and want more involvement from the federal government. Now, mayors do a lot of things, but we are not responsible for a broken immigration system.

What we need in this country is we need the Congress to do its job and fix this immigration system. Now, both Democrat mayors and Republican governors are telling the federal government that they've left them holding the bag on immigration. When we come back, who should be supporting these people? Halima, thanks. Thank you. save time and put money back in your pocket. Ramp says they give finance teams unprecedented control and insight into company spend. With Ramp, you're able to issue cards to every employee with

limits and restrictions and automate expense reporting so you can stop wasting time at the Thank you. issued by Sutton Bank, member FDIC. Terms and conditions apply. Or how about more ways to customize your casino page with our new favorite and recently played games tabs. And to top it all off, quick and secure withdrawals. Get more everything with FanDuel Sportsbook and Casino. Gambling problem? Call 1-866-531-2600. Visit connectsontario.ca. It's Today Explained. I'm Noelle King. Halima Shah, the governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, is trying to make a point. He says that border towns and cities are overburdened by the arrival of migrants

and that the federal government needs to do more, which raises a question that comes up a lot. Is the situation at the border today really any different than the one we've seen over the last years or even decades. If you consider the U.S.-Mexico border, it is true that there is a record number of attempts to cross this year. The U.S.-Mexico border and the capacity of DHS and CEP and ICE and other agencies at the border has been overwhelmed.

This is Ariel Ruiz Soto, a policy analyst with the Migration Policy Institute. After we saw a decrease in 2020 from pandemic mobility restrictions, we're now beginning to see an increase again of numbers. There have been about 1.9 million encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border. An encounter means the number of times U.S. Customs and Border Protection observes people trying to enter the U.S. But that 1.9 million number, as high as it sounds, has a huge caveat. Many of them include repeated attempts to migrate. In other words, there aren't 1.9 million people trying to cross the border. There's 1.9 million attempts, sometimes by the same people.

So Title 42, that pandemic public health order we talked about, since it went into effect, the U.S. isn't detaining migrants for long periods of time when they attempt to enter illegally. It instead just pushes them back across the border. So say you're a person who has made this desperate attempt to cross the U.S.-Mexico border before. You were pushed back, and now you've been stuck in a squalid camp or shelter in Mexico for months. You might try to cross again a second time, a third time, maybe even a fourth time. Okay, so Greg Abbott and Doug Ducey put people on buses. That forces D.C. and these other cities into difficult positions. D.C. then did what and does what? Well, for five straight months, D.C. got a lot of flack from volunteers

who are relying on private donations to feed and shelter migrants. But we're starting to see more action now. The attorney general announced a $150,000 fund that groups supporting migrants can apply to for financial assistance. But it's the emergency announcement from Mayor Bowser on Thursday that got the most attention. The district is going to allocate $10 million for an office of migrant services. And they said they will seek reimbursement from the federal government for that. I am creating, establishing a new office within the Department of Human Services called the Office of Migrant Services. This new office will, as I said, be housed in DHS, and it will help us tailor our needs for migrants to provide reception services or rep spit services, meals, transportation, urgent medical needs, transportation to connect people to resettlement services and the like.

The mayor said in a press conference that the office is going to start operating, quote, soon, but it's really not clear when soon is. To volunteers, this should have happened a long time ago, in part because only 10 to 15 percent of the almost 9,000 migrants who are on these buses bound for D.C. actually stay in D.C. So 10 to 15 percent of 9,000 is less than 1,400 people. In total, those numbers are not significantly high. You would expect that New York City, as well as in D.C., even though smaller, that both of those cities would be able to absorb this number of migrants and integrate and provide services for them rather easily. I met two people who you could say are the reason Bowser had to act. They arrived in D.C. a few months ago after a really difficult journey from Cuba.

Ana and Antonio aren't using their real names while their immigration status is still to be determined. They're a young couple, 28 and 30 years old, and their baby is only 13 weeks. Were you pregnant when you were making the journey to the U.S.? Well, I just recently found out that I was pregnant when I left Cuba. I left in January, and I spent the entire journey with my belly growing. By the time I got to the border, I was already eight months pregnant, ready to give birth. So they made the journey to the U.S. by flying to Nicaragua, then by walking and taking a series of buses to the U.S.-Mexico border. It was the only option we had. Every time I talk about this, it makes me cry.

Because it was hard. Our journey was hard. But here we are in the land of opportunity, and we want to get ahead. They didn't have any connections in the U.S. They didn't know where to go. So when they found out that there was this free bus that would take them to the capital, it meant they could land somewhere that wasn't the border. So they took the opportunity. I was in the group that received the message that there's this couple with a pregnant wife. This is Mara. She's a mutual aid volunteer who took the couple

in when they didn't know anyone else in the city. I'm not even Christian, but all I could think about was the nativity story and how there was no room at the inn for this eight-month pregnant woman. And I just knew that they were going to be mine. And I would make sure that there is room at this inn. The inn that Mara is talking about is her apartment. We are four adults in one house. And it's just a two-bedroom, one-bathroom, so it gets a little full. Mara's got her room.

And then we have my guest room. We've got our crib in here. We've got a big recliner chair that is great for mama breastfeeding. The guest room is for mom, dad, and baby, and the couch downstairs is for their friend. My name is Jose Manuel. Jose Manuel is not his real name either. The couple says that Jose Manuel is like a brother to them. He arrived in D.C. shortly after they did,

and after finding housing with Mara and being welcomed by volunteers, the city has really left a mark on him. And he's going to stick around until his case is adjudicated, which will take at least two years. He'll need a job, but he can't do that until he gets a work permit. The first thing I would want is a work permit for them to help me get work, to guide me to my destiny. Their other big order of business is going to be staying on top of their immigration cases. The hard work for them is not over just because, you know, they've made it through the interior of the country. There is a false sense of relief for many of the migrants who are arriving in New York City and Washington, D.C.,

because a lot of what still is going to continue for them is to ensure that they actually attend their court hearings to seek asylum. Basically, migrants are responsible for keeping the courts updated about where they're moving. If they don't tell the courts that they have moved from Texas to the East Coast, they might still be expected in a Texas court. And it's on them to arrange for a hearing that's somewhere closer. The worst case scenario is if somebody who is coming in those buses had originally a court hearing in Houston and ends up being in New York City but doesn't find out about their court hearing, and then they unfortunately will miss it, they will then be considered removal in absentia because they did not show up to their court.

In other words, they can be deported. What is the best case scenario for Ana and Antonio and Jose Manuel? Going to immigration court on the East Coast could actually yield favorable results for them. They actually may have a better chance of receiving a protection status, either by refugee or through asylum, if they go to a court in New York State or New York City, for example, they tend to have larger approval ratings than in Texas or other states along the U.S.-Mexico border. But more broadly, this could also be a chance for the Biden administration to implement that orderly, humane policy that they've been talking about.

The administration says it wants a whole-of-government approach where it will work with non-profits, state and local governments to address migration flows. There are states out there that could be interested in receiving migrants and refugees because they've actually done it before. We're talking states like California, Texas, Oregon, usually the West Coast has done this for Ukrainians and for Afghan refugees, that it could be doable and possible in the future to see this as a potential mechanism of assistance instead as one that has so many logistical barriers. I mean, that would be a terrific outcome for everybody involved here. If states are

saying we would like to take these people in, how likely is that to happen? It's a matter of whether or not there's the political will to make this happen. There is a midterm election around the corner and a poll shows that about half of Americans believe it's somewhat or completely true that there's an invasion at the border. So if the Biden administration decides that this is not a winning issue for them and doesn't act, and if Governor Abbott is reelected for a third term, this will probably keep happening. Abbott has said this will keep happening, and we're seeing that play out. I mean, just last week, migrant buses started arriving in

Chicago. But regardless of how the government responds, volunteers are planning to continue being there for migrants. If you look at the lives of people like Ana, Antonio, and Jose Manuel, it's very intertwined with Mara's now. They are helping me just as much as I'm helping them. Cooking dinner every night is a great example of that. But also, they worry about me. Cooking dinner every night is a great example of that. But also, they worry about me. They ask me if I'm okay. This is not a charity situation.

This is humans being with other humans and taking care of each other. And remember I mentioned that Ana and Antonio have a baby? That baby was born in the United States. She's American. Her parents said they want her to go to school here. They want her to go to college here. So even though Ana and Antonio's future is really uncertain in the U.S., they are really hopeful for their child.

Today explains senior producer and reporter Halima Shah. Thanks, Halima. Thank you, Noelle. Today's episode was reported and produced by Halima Shah. It was edited by Matthew Collette and fact-checked by Tori Dominguez and Serena Solon. It was engineered by Efim Shapiro and Paul Robert Mouncey. Special thanks to Claudia Hernandez

and Diana Fula, who provided interpretation. It's Today Explained. I'm Noelle King. Thank you. you