A top official in President Biden’s State Dept. told Congress that forcing border crossers to first ask for protection in Mexico instead of the US would cut down on illegal immigration by a huge amount.
At a meeting on October 25 in the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) asked different Biden administration officials why the government wouldn’t enforce a “Safe Third Country Agreement” like the one the United States has with Canada.
“Why not make a policy called “Safe Third Country? Under asylum, it states that you must seek asylum in the very first secure country,” Kennedy said.
“So if you’re from Nicaragua, Venezuela, or another Central American nation, you have to take refuge in the very first safe nation you see? Why not do that? Then that would get rid of 5.6 million illegal immigrants, or 70% of the 8 million individuals living here illegally.”
In the vicinity of the northern border, for instance, the Safe Third Country policy makes sure that people who cross the border from Canada have to first apply for refuge in Canada before they are permitted to do so in the United States. People from outside of Mexico who cross the southern border would have to first ask for refuge in Mexico before trying to do so in the U.S., according to a policy that is very similar.
Kennedy was told by Joseph Salazar, who is in charge of Central American matters for the State Dept., that a Safe Third Country Contract would actually cut illegal immigration by over 50 percent.
This is what happened in the exchange:
“A Safe Third Country policy… would stop 5.6 million individuals from coming into the United States illegally right away. It would, wouldn’t it?” When Kennedy asked, Salazar said, “It would, sir,” and then he said that the State Dept. is working on measures to help with the border problem.
The admission comes as about nine million migrants as well as illegal aliens have shown up at the southern border of the United States since Biden assumed office. This is the highest amount of illegal immigration that the United States has ever seen.
At least four million migrants crossing the border along with illegal immigrants have come to live in the United States thanks to Biden’s “Catch and Release” system and weak immigration enforcement.
Each month, the Biden government lets more than 60,000 people who crossed the border illegally into the United States.
Kennedy asked Alejandro Mayorkas, the secretary of the DHS, about a Safer Third Country Contract in March. Mayorkas said the existence of such a plan isn’t a “sound policy.”
At the time, Mayorkas stated, “I also don’t think it’s a good idea to shut down our whole asylum system.”
