During his State of the Union address, President Joe Biden announced the U.S. will take measures to address the immigration issues the country has reportedly faced during the past two years. The State of the Union address was given amid what some national news publications, such as Fox News, have described as a "historic crisis."
"Folks, if we are to advance liberty and justice, we need to secure our border and fix the immigration system," Biden said during his address on Tuesday. "And as you might guess, I think we can do both. It's not only the right thing to do, it's the economically smart thing to do."
U.S. Border Patrol Agents made 1.9 million arrests at the southern border in 2021, as reported by the New York Post. This is a nearly 95% increase in the number of border arrests made in 2019, which was 851,508, according to an October 2019, Politico news story.
Biden spoke of many measures being taken to alleviate the issue. State-of-the-art scanners have been installed to detect drug smuggling, while joint patrols have been established with Mexico and Guatemala to apprehend human traffickers. Additionally, dedicated immigration judges are being implemented to hear cases of families fleeing persecution and violence. The president also explained partnerships with Central and South American countries to secure their borders and host refugees.
"We can do all this while keeping lit the torch of liberty that has led the generation of immigrants to this land — my forebearers and many of yours," he said.
