The Crisis That Isn't a 'Surge'

The Biden administration is facing criticism over large numbers of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, but is it really a "surge?"

The short answer is, no.

Even though many media outlets and politicians are calling it a "surge," U.S. Customs and Border Protection numbers show more people were apprehended in 2019 than now.

Yes, large numbers of migrants coming to the United States from Central America are seeking asylum as they flee violence and grinding poverty.

But this "border crisis" was already here during the Trump administration, which pushed cruel policies like "zero tolerance" that led to children being separated from their families.

Now, rather than just turning away kids without their parents onto the streets of Tijuana and other Mexican border towns under "Remain in Mexico" or using COVID-19 as an excuse to toss any asylum requests, the Biden administration is struggling to process them in a humane way that complies with the law.

This is a humanitarian crisis, not a "Biden border crisis."

Either way, people are looking to us for refuge – and it's up to us to treat them humanely.