The Morning: A crackdown

Plus, Israeli strikes across the Middle East, the port strike and food voyages.

View in browser|nytimes.com October 4, 2024 Good morning. Today, my colleague Hamed Aleaziz explains how well President Biden's border rules have worked. We're also covering Israeli strikes across the Middle East, the port strike and food voyages. —David Leonhardt The U.S.-Mexico border. Pool photo by Jae C. Hong A quick plunge By Hamed Aleaziz I cover immigration. For much of the Biden administration's first three years in office, migration surged at the Mexican border. Administration officials frequently argued that the problem was beyond their control — a reflection not of U.S. policy but of global forces pushing people toward the border. Then, starting in December, when the issue threatened President Biden's re-election, he began a crackdown. The traffic of people crossing the border plummeted. Today, it remains near the lowest point since 2020 and not so different from levels during parts of the Trump and Obama administrations. This week, the Biden administration imposed tough new rules to keep it that way. Source: Department of Homeland Security | By The New York Times In today's newsletter, I'll explain how the policy has had such a big effect and why it took so long for the administration to enact. The crisis deepens Border crossings reached record levels this past winter, with almost 250,000 migrant arrests in December alone. At one point, U.S. officials shut down rail crossings and one port of entry, frightening businesses that ship goods between the countries. Just 32 percent of Americans thought Biden was handling immigration wisely. Two efforts this year by the Biden administration made a big difference. First, it pushed Mexico to clamp down on the number of migrants headed to the southern border. Mexico had run out of money to deport those people to their home countries. Then the secretaries of state and homeland security visited in late December to ask for more enforcement. Soon, the authorities there found the money to bus migrants far away, to southern Mexico. Arrests at the U.S. border dropped by half in January and stayed steady for several months. At the same time, Democrats in Congress were trying to pass an immigration bill to slow the number of arrivals and save Biden's candidacy. Although Republicans had largely backed those objectives, they voted against the measure for political reasons, and it failed. Colombian asylum seekers in September after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. John Moore/Getty Images After that, Biden made a second major decision. He issued an executive order that barred migrants from asylum if they crossed illegally, even if they were fleeing oppression back home — a measure similar to one part of the failed bill. It changed the way people could ask for asylum. Before, when migrants got to the border, U.S. officials asked if they feared returning home. Government officials believed many were saying yes regardless of whether it was true — and also that smugglers were coaching them how to answer. Now, to qualify for asylum, a migrant had to volunteer his or her worries unprompted. Officials say many fewer did so. Because fewer people could get asylum under the new rules, the Department of Homeland Security could deport them much more quickly. The process can take a day or two if someone is from Mexico and does not have an asylum claim. A turnaround With all those moves together, immigration to the U.S. changed quickly. Arrests in September fell to around 54,000, the lowest figure in years. And with fewer people entering the asylum system, it was easier for the government to deport them. In the first few years of the administration, detention centers were often overwhelmed, so officials released people with notices to appear in immigration court years down the line. Policymakers think that word of these strains spread into Latin America and induced more people to come illegally. "There was a message of, 'this is not permissible,' but everybody was being permitted to do it. So there was this kind of juxtaposition of public statement and then action," said Matthew Hudak, a former U.S. Border Patrol official. Now, as strains on the system have eased, officials react differently. Detention centers have space to hold people while they wait to see if they'll be deported. Democrats have traveled a long arc in the last four years. When Biden took office, he spoke warmly of migrants seeking asylum and even tried to pause deportations altogether. (A court said no.) As his political fortunes sank, he turned toward deterring migrants. Finally, in June, he took a hard line. Now Kamala Harris says she would make sure Biden's order is kept in place. Related: Immigration is a major issue in this election. Watch a video version of The Daily, where Michael Barbaro and Times correspondents discuss the state of the race. THE LATEST NEWS 2024 Election Kamala Harris with the Republican former congresswoman Liz Cheney. Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times Liz Cheney urged voters to reject Donald Trump at a rally with Harris in Ripon, Wis., the birthplace of the Republican Party. "In this election, putting patriotism ahead of partisanship is not an aspiration, it is our duty," Cheney said. Trump pledged to revoke the legal status of tens of thousands of Haitian immigrants whom he has falsely accused of eating pets. He tried to do so in his first term but courts blocked him. Tim Walz decried "staggering and devastating" destruction in Gaza in a video address aimed at Muslim voters, many of whom are angry over the Biden administration's Israel policy. Crushing overtime, perceived favoritism and unreliable tech contributed to Secret Service agents quitting at the highest rates in decades. The exodus left the agency unprepared to counter threats this year. The International Association of Fire Fighters, a union that backed Biden in 2020, said that it would not endorse a presidential candidate this year. The Teamsters are also not supporting a candidate. More on Politics A judge sentenced a former Colorado county clerk to nine years in prison for tampering with voting machines in a failed attempt to help Trump. A federal judge let the Biden administration resume one of its student debt relief programs for now. Mike Lawler, a vulnerable House Republican from New York, wore blackface as part of a Michael Jackson costume in college in 2006. Lawler said he'd meant it as homage and apologized to anyone he'd offended. Two Democratic senators — Elizabeth Warren and Richard Blumenthal — urged the Justice Department to criminally prosecute Boeing executives over plane safety issues. Middle East Beirut's southern suburbs. Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters Israeli forces struck Lebanon, Gaza and the occupied West Bank overnight. Warplanes attacked a site near Beirut, the Lebanese capital, that officials said was an underground bunker where Hezbollah leaders were meeting. The strike near Beirut targeted Hashem Safieddine, a cousin and possible successor of Hassan Nasrallah, the assassinated Hezbollah leader. Nearly 100 people were killed in several strikes in Gaza, including one on an orphanage where women and children were sheltering. Israel said its targets were Hamas command centers. The Israeli military said that Hezbollah had fired at least 200 rockets at Israel, but that its defenses had intercepted most of them. Biden seemed to confirm that Israel might strike Iranian oil fields in retaliation for a missile attack. Oil prices rose on the news. More International News Russian oil tankers are operating under the flags of other nations, making it hard for the authorities to find them and enforce sanctions. Keir Starmer, the British prime minister, has assembled a top team that contains more lawmakers from poor backgrounds. Voters still see it as out of touch. Companies are trying to cut ties with Xinjiang, China, a region full of cotton but known for stark human rights abuses. Beijing is making it hard to leave. Helene Aftermath President Biden with a farm owner. Eric Lee/The New York Times Biden surveyed storm damage in Florida and Georgia. "We have your back," he said during a visit to a Georgia pecan farm, and he urged Congress to pass more aid. Gov. Ron DeSantis will give election officials in storm-damaged Florida more flexibility in administering early and absentee voting. Other Big Stories In Garden City, Ga. Adam Kuehl for The New York Times A dockworkers' union suspended its strike after employers offered a bigger wage increase. The deal allowed major U.S. ports to reopen. Three former Memphis police officers were acquitted in the most serious charge in the case regarding the death of Tyre Nichols. Americans are using more potent marijuana products more often. A growing number are suffering serious health effects. In a retrial, a Manhattan man was convicted in the murder of a transgender woman. Opinions Eric Adams and Bob Menendez show that Democrats have a corruption problem they need to address, Sarah Chayes writes. Voters see Harris as assertive. Finally, they also view that as an asset, Alison Fragale and Adam Grant write. Here are columns by David Brooks on American manufacturing, and Paul Krugman on Trump and disaster relief. Subscribe Today The Morning highlights a small portion of the journalism that The New York Times offers. To access all of it, become a subscriber with this introductory offer. MORNING READS In Huntsville, Ala. Robert Rausch for The New York Times Saving cinema: Movie theaters are using specialty concessions — like elote flatbreads — to lure customers. Social Q's: "Should I press my adult son to break up with his girlfriend?" Pitch me: Singles are using PowerPoint presentations, billboards and business cards to find love. Growth: Pandemic start-ups are helping to fuel the U.S. economy. Lives Lived: Masamitsu Yoshioka was the last known survivor of the Japanese bombardiers who attacked Pearl Harbor. He died at 106. SPORTS Pete Alonso's home run. MLB M.L.B.: The New York Mets advanced to the National League division series thanks to Pete Alonso's ninth-inning home run. Read a recap. N.F.L.: Quarterback Kirk Cousins threw for 509 yards in the Atlanta Falcons' thrilling 36-30 overtime win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. W.N.B.A.: Caitlin Clark won Rookie of the Year honors with 66 of 67 votes. Angel Reese received the other vote. ARTS AND IDEAS Delicacies around the world. The New York Times Many people travel just for food. But how far would you go for a single bite? The New York Times Magazine sent writers and photographers on long journeys — to Italy, Peru, Senegal — to taste bites they couldn't replicate anywhere else. One couple took their son who hates eggs along. They wanted to see if some of the world's best chefs could convince him to change his mind. Read the food voyages. More on culture Garth Brooks was accused of rape and assault in a lawsuit. Whole Foods tried to change the recipe of Berry Chantilly, a cake with a cult following. Customers lost it. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Armando Rafael for The New York Times Add sausage and peppers to this one-pot pasta. Stop straining your eyes. Charge your iPhone with a good cable. Take our news quiz. GAMES Here is today's Spelling Bee. Yesterday's pangrams were grounding and rounding. And here are today's Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: David Leonhardt Deputy Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for the Morning newsletter from The New York Times, or as part of your New York Times account. To stop receiving The Morning, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. 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