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Ian Explains: Why Congress can't fix the US border problem
In this edition of Ian Explains, we look at the border deal that wasn’t and try to answer a very complicated question: Why is our immigration system so broken?
The US is a country of multiple realities. The economy is booming. Everything is expensive. Donald Trump is a threat to democracy. Donald Trump is the leader of the GOP. Taylor Swift is a pop icon. Taylor Swift is a Deep State asset. And then there’s immigration. In one reality, Democrats and Republicans have come together on legislation to secure the Southern border at a time when bipartisanship in Washington is all but unheard of. But in another reality, none of that matters, because the bill will never become law, Ian Bremmer explains on GZERO World.
So how did we get to this point, and why won’t anything come of it? The answer to the first question starts with Ukraine. Late last summer, US funding for Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s invasion (talk about a border crisis) was drying up. And for the first time since the war began, it was looking like Republicans were not going to approve more money until THEIR key national security issue was addressed.
Then President Biden did something truly unexpected. He said: “Ok.”
Watch the upcoming episode of GZERO World with Ian Bremmer on US public television this weekend (check local listings) and at gzeromedia.com/gzeroworld.
- What We’re Watching: China’s open door, sticky US border policy, Iran’s “mercy” deficit, Kosovo’s creeping crisis, Nepal’s “Terrible” new top dog ›
- Stalled deal on US border security leaves Ukraine in the lurch ›
- Will US-Canada border deal mean riskier future for migrants? ›
- The Graphic Truth: Black representation in the US Congress ›
- Border disorder: Why Capitol Hill lawmakers disagree on the US immigration crisis - GZERO Media ›
- Why Republicans hold Biden accountable for border problems - GZERO Media ›
- The New York migrant crisis up close - GZERO Media ›
Photo composite of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping
What We’re Watching: China’s budding diplomacy, Biden’s border control, Russia’s big plans
What’s next for Russia & China?
Russia and China broadcast their friendship to the world on Wednesday as the West freaked out about the possibility of Beijing turning to arm Moscow’s troops in Ukraine. After meeting Chinese top diplomat Wang Yi in the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin said that strong Russia-China ties are “important for stabilizing the international situation.” (A tad rich coming from the guy who upended geopolitics by invading Ukraine a year ago.) Putin also confirmed that Xi Jinping would visit Moscow for a summit in the coming months. Wang, for his part, clarified that while their famous partnership “without limits” is not directed against any other nation, it certainly should not be subject to external pressure. He said both countries support “multipolarity and democratization of international relations” – in other words, not a US-led liberal international order. Still, no matter what Western governments say, the Chinese are not so willing to break ties with the US and its allies, mainly because Beijing's trade relations are too important. Meanwhile, we wonder whether the current status of the Russia-China relationship — friends with benefits but complicated — will blossom into a marriage (of convenience) or end in a bad breakup. What we know for sure is that China is getting more involved in the Ukraine conflict generally. Learn more here.
Biden’s tough new move on immigration
The Biden administration this week unveiled a new hardline immigration plan that will likely come into effect after the current pandemic-era immigration policy, known as Title 42, lapses on May 11. It would then stay in place for two years. Under the measure, first revealed last month, asylum-seekers who cross the US southern border illegally or who fail to apply for asylum in the first country they cross through will be banned from applying for asylum in America. This comes after Biden’s team last month introduced a new policy, whereby migrants from Nicaragua, Haiti, Cuba, in addition to Venezuela, would be eligible for “parole” – meaning temporary two-year work visas – only if they apply for asylum from outside the US and if they have a US sponsor. The new plan mirrors a similar policy introduced by former President Donald Trump that was ultimately blocked by the courts. Rights groups, citing a potential threat to humanitarian protections, say they will seek legal action again. Biden has been struggling to contain an uptick in migrants arriving at the southern border in recent months – and the subsequent political backlash. But this plan will infuriate the left flank of the Democratic Party whose support Biden needs as the 2024 presidential race gets underway.
Russia looks beyond Ukraine?
Ukraine is not the only piece of former Soviet ground that Russia’s President Vladimir Putin might like to recapture. Belarus, allied with Russia as part of a “union state” since 1999, has seen Kremlin influence within its borders grow since strongman President Aleksandr Lukashenko called on Putin for help with domestic protests that broke out in response to a rigged 2020 election. Lukashenko has so far resisted pressure from Putin to commit Belarusian troops to the war in Ukraine, but he has allowed Russia to use his country as a staging ground for invasion. This week, a consortium of journalists representing Yahoo News, Germany’s Süddeutsche Zeitung, and other media organizations published a document they say was obtained from inside Putin’s government that details a Russian plan to essentially annex Belarus by 2030. The 17-page report, titled "Strategic Goals of the Russian Federation in Belarus" and completed in the summer of 2021, calls for Russian infiltration of Belarus’ politics, economy, and military. Like Ukraine, Belarus is situated on land that has sometimes been ruled by Moscow, and it serves as a forward buffer against further NATO advance toward Russian borders. It’s also consistent with a Kremlin announcement this week that created uncertainty over Russian recognition of the independence of Moldova, another former Soviet Republic. Moldova’s pro-Western President Maia Sandu and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky recently alleged a Russian plan to organize a coup in Moldova.Undated handout image of a Switchblade drone.
Hard Numbers: More weapons for Ukraine, Cubans at the US border, Afghan attack, North Korean garbage
800 million: As the war in Ukraine shifts towards the Donbas, US President Joe Biden on Thursday announced an additional $800 million in military aid to Kyiv, including heavy artillery, hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition, and tactical drones.
32,141: US officials processed 32,141 Cuban migrants at the US southern border last month, a record high. Officials from the US and Cuba on Thursday met for the highest-level talks between the two countries in years.
10: At least 10 people were killed in an explosion at a Shiite mosque in northern Afghanistan on Thursday. The Islamic State’s affiliate in Afghanistan has claimed responsibility for the attack, which comes amid escalating violence against the country’s Shia and other minorities.
2,000: A scholar in South Korea has collected more than 2,000 pieces of North Korean trash that have washed up on beaches near the frontline between the two countries. It’s part of a study on changing consumption patterns in North Korea, one of the most economically isolated countries in the world.