Biden, immigration and the border: three perspectives on the problem

Today on Midday, it’s Midday on Immigration.  Last week, the Biden administration announced new policies designed to help stem the surge of migration across the nation's southwestern border with Mexico. The policies include a combination of pathways to legal entry into the country and expanded expedited removal of those who cross into the US unlawfully. The President visited the border for the first time as president on Sunday, and then he travelled to Mexico City for what is known as the “Three Amigos Summit,” where he met with his presidential counterparts in Canada and Mexico. Today, Tom speaks with three people with keen insights into America's complex and persistent immigration problem. His first guest is NPR White House Correspondent Franco Ordoñez, who joins us on our digital line from NPR headquarters in Washington. Tom speaks next with Krish Vignarajah. She is the President and CEO of the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. Krish Vignarajah joins us on Zoom from her office in Baltimore… Next week, Maryland will inaugurate its first African American Governor, its first South Asian Lt. Governor and its first woman comptroller. Our state’s first Black Attorney General was sworn in last week. Marylandis the most diverse state on the eastern seaboard, and it’s fitting that we have state leadership that reflects the demographics of our citizens. In November, 2021, Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski, Jr., acknowledging that his county is becoming more diverse, appointed the County’s first Immigrant Affairs Outreach Coordinator, Giuliana Valencia-Banks, who is Tom's final guest today. She joins us on Zoom… How do you think the US should be handling the waves of migrants seeking entry at America's southern border? Email us at [email protected], tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.