This crisis is linked to the migration policy of the United States. Many migrants cross the border with Mexico. In November alone, there were about 250,000 attempts to cross the southern border. Most new arrivals will ask for asylum and be released into America, only to wait years (up to 5-6 years) for a decision on their claims. More than 3.1 million people have crossed the border since Biden became president. At least 1.7 million have arrived undetected or overstayed their visas.
The state of Texas is particularly affected by the influx of illegal migrants. It occupies a special place in the USA: the second in terms of territory, the second after California in terms of population (30 million people). It is one of the centres of American agriculture, oil and gas and chemical industries and financial institutions.
In 1836, Texans seceded from Mexico and proclaimed a republic, which, incidentally, was internationally recognised. After the U.S.-Mexican War of the late 1940s, Texas joined the United States.
In the last few days, the Texas National Guard has erected a barbed wire fence near the border with Mexico to combat illegal migration. The US administration complained about this to the Supreme Court, which in turn ordered the fence removed.
State troopers blocked access for federal patrols, who were allowed by a court to cut the barbed wire. Texas Governor Greg Abbott declared a “migrant invasion” and self-defence measures. He emphasised that Texas would pursue its own policy because federal authorities were failing to secure the border. The state is taking its own measures to combat illegal migration – in particular, it has passed a law allowing for the arrest and imprisonment of those suspected of illegally crossing the border.
Abbott’s actions were supported by Republican governors of 25 American states, releasing a statement accusing President Joe Biden of unwillingness to fight illegal migration:
“We do so in part because the Biden administration refuses to enforce immigration laws already in place and illegally authorises mass parole releases across America of migrants who entered our country illegally.” Several governors have begun sending their National Guard units to Texas.
The actions of these governors were vigorously supported by former President D. Trump.
The media in Texas are increasingly voicing the thesis that since the federal government does not do its job and does not let others do theirs, it is better to become independent again. Especially since the Texas economy is equal to the economy of the whole of Canada. The Texas government used its own money to build 60 kilometres of barbed wire fence. And Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick demanded that Biden “get out of the way”. The US President has instructed Texas to stop squatting on the border, and in response, the Texas state attorney said Biden is in cahoots with Mexico’s drug cartels who want a transparent border.
A number of U.S. observers note that at the heart of the problem is the U.S. administration’s desire to allocate tens of billions of dollars to Ukraine instead of improving its own border. The American press began to write about the possibility of civil war.
The current crisis is intensified by the growing condemnation of Washington’s actions regarding the White House’s support for the massacre of Palestinians committed by Israel. In these circumstances, the decision of the International Court of Justice of 26.01.2024 on the complaint of South Africa on Israel’s violation of the genocide convention has added fuel to the fire. In its ruling the court ordered Israel not to commit acts of genocide and not to allow any persons to commit them, not to allow public calls for genocide and punish those responsible for such calls, to immediately ensure access to the Gaza Strip humanitarian aid and the resumption of public services.
This judgement of the International Court of Justice was perceived in the world not only as a condemnation of the actions of the government of Israel, but also as a blow to the policy of the US, which actually condones the destruction of the Palestinian population. It is noteworthy that several Democratic congressmen, i.e. formally supporters of Biden, sent him, as well as the Government Accountability Office, a letter regarding an audit of US arms transfers to Israel: “Continued arms transfers to Israel flagrantly violate U.S. and international law and are used in the commission of war crimes.”
It is known that already a number of US officials have left the government in protest against covering up Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
On 26 January, a civil case accusing US President Biden and other senior US officials of involvement in the “Israeli genocide in Gaza” began in a California federal court: a number of human rights organisations are suing them for “failing to prevent the unfolding genocide and the Israeli government’s complicity in it”.
In the current context, the conclusion of some newspapers in the Global South about the “policy failure” of the current American administration is understandable.
Vladimir MASHIN, PhD in History, political observer, especially for “New Eastern Outlook”