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Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Feb. 6 that the Biden administration planned to cancel Trump-era agreements with El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras forcing asylum seekers to look for protection in those places. Central American families quickly began crossing the U.S.-Mexican border as Biden administration officials tried to urge them not to come all at once. During the next several weeks, Biden’s team will transition from campaigning on immigration to managing a dismantled immigration system. The Biden team’s strategy to make the immigration system more humane and orderly has two goals: promoting the rollback of Trump’s policies while urging migrants to stay away as that work is done. The Washington Post
In other federal immigration news…
Travel Restrictions at Land Borders Extended
U.S. land borders with Mexico and Canada will stay close to non-essential travel until March 21, the one-year anniversary of the restrictions. Officials said the new 30-day extension was the first announced by Biden as the White House continued discussing possibly tightening requirements for crossings at U.S. land borders. Canada has shown minimal interest in repealing restrictions and recently announced new COVID-19 testing requirements for some Canadians returning by land crossings. Biden directed U.S. officials in an executive order last month to “immediately commence diplomatic outreach to the governments of Canada and Mexico regarding public health protocols for land ports of entry.” The order also stated that U.S. agencies must submit a plan to Biden within 14 days “to implement appropriate public health measures at land ports of entry.” Reuters
