Border strains leave Biden promise fraying

Unaccompanied children

As a result, significantly fewer people are being admitted into the US, but significantly more unaccompanied children and families began arriving at the border last year compared with 2019.

Civil rights groups criticized the administration for keeping Title 42, saying it violates US asylum laws. Research also found the policy has motivated people to make repeated attempts to cross the border.

Since Biden paused the construction of the border wall on his first day in office, the worksites have been abandoned with building materials rusting in the open air.

Biden's decision to halt the wall's construction has attracted criticism from Republicans, especially Texas Governor Greg Abbott who announced an initiative last year to build barriers along the border. He has focused billions of dollars on border enforcement, including money for what he called Operation Lone Star and the border wall he is building.

Civil rights groups accuse Abbott of fanning hatred with his border enforcement operation and militarizing the Texas border and its communities.

Some observers have said that deterrence-based policies have not worked long term; they temporarily suppress arrivals but the causes of migration in home countries remain.