Biden 2022 Budget Requests $2Bln To Address Root Cause Of Migration, Asylum Backlogs

President Joe Biden's 20222 budget proposal is asking Congress to approve an estimated $2 billion to address the root cause of mass US-bound migration from Central America and asylum claim backlogs, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) said on Friday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 09th April, 2021) President Joe Biden's 20222 budget proposal is asking Congress to approve an estimated $2 billion to address the root cause of mass US-bound migration from Central America and asylum claim backlogs, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) said on Friday.

"Address the Root Causes of Migration from Central America and Reduce Asylum Backlogs. The request proposes $861 million as a first step towards a four-year commitment to invest in Central America as part of a comprehensive strategy to address the root causes of irregular migration," the OMB said in a press release.

The budget proposal also includes a 21 percent increase to the budget of the Executive Officer for Immigration Review, providing $891 million to reduce court backlogs by employing 100 new immigration judges and support teams, the release said.

In addition, US president seeks $345 million for US Citizenship and Immigration Services to resolve naturalization and asylum cases of individuals that have been pending for years, the release said.

On Thursday, US Custom and Border Protection data revealed that US border apprehensions soared by more than 70 percent in March. The 172,331 migrant encounters recorded represents the highest monthly total in more than two decades, with the Biden administration on pace to top the previous annual record set in 2019 of over 977,000 apprehensions.