On black holes – The Economist:

‘Yet it is worth looking at what is happening beyond the border. For even while the surge of irregular migration has soaked up attention and resources, legal immigration has rebounded. And on June 18th President Joe Biden announced new safeguards—including work permits and protection from deportation—for people who have been living illegally in the country for years but are married to American citizens. The move was crafted to appeal to, among others, Latino voters and to assuage progressives angered by Mr Biden’s crackdown on illegal migration in an executive action two weeks ago. At a stroke it also swells the ranks of the country’s legitimate residents by about 500,000 people.’

(…)

‘Nearly 1.2m green cards were issued in the fiscal year of 2023, a 68% increase from 2020 and slightly more than the number doled out during Mr Trump’s first year in office. The government is projected to resettle at least 90,000 refugees in 2024, potentially short of Mr Biden’s 125,000 allotment but far more than the 11,000 or so settled during the doldrums of the pandemic.’

(…)

‘One thing that hasn’t changed is the system itself. Congress has repeatedly failed to create new legal pathways for migrants, to increase caps for limited visas and to make the system more responsive to the needs of America’s economy. The result is a monumental backlog for green cards, long wait times at consulates, frustrated families who worry they will never be reunited, and irritated businesses and states eager for more labour. The process is next to impossible, says Mr Bier. “There are the people who are screwed, people who are really screwed, and then the people who are just going to die before they get a chance to come,” he adds, bleakly.’

(…)

‘Some 61% of registered voters surveyed by Pew in April maintain that America’s openness to people from elsewhere is essential to its national character. But in an election year, with the black hole sucking up so much attention, reform of the legal system is unthinkable.’

Read the article here.

Screwed or really screwed, if these are the flavors to choose from no one should be surprised that people with burning desires or burning necessities try to cross borders in let’s say a slightly more inventive way.

Reform of the legal system after the demise of many applicants of today.