Over 300,000 undocumented migrants have been trying to cross the US-Mexico border in December 2023, which is a record monthly high number of migrant crossings in the southern border of the US. This surpasses the previous monthly high record of September 2023, when approximately 270,000 migrants have been identified by the US border officials. Migrant issues in the US have become noticeably severe, to the point where even cities far from the southern border are having difficulties managing the sudden influx of migrants. Eric Adams, mayor of New York City, has stated that the influx of migrants will cost the city about $12 billion over the next three years. He has also discussed the possibility of the negative impacts that could happen once the city fails to manage the migrants. These include forced cutbacks of education, police department, and resources for elders. 

It is evident that issues relating to migrants are currently greatly impacting the US. What causes the migrants to cross this border, and what caused the sudden increase in the number of illegal border crossings? One of the reasons for December’s increase in border crossings is the Venezuelan arrivals. Approximately 50,000 Venezuelans who tried to cross the border without authorization were identified by the border patrol, which is more than twice as many compared to November, when 23,000 Venezuelans arrived.

The main reasons why immigrants come to the United States are usually to improve their financial situation, get a better job or education, and seek safety. Some of the regions where migrants emigrate from are known to be highly insecure. For example, Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, is well-known for its extremely high crime rate. This also applies to Juárez, a Mexican city directly touching the southern border of the US, which is also well-known due to the notorious drug cartels.

 #usa #migrants #immigration #border

Ryan Lee (rlee2027@chadwickschool.org)