Border

Roughly four out of five Americans say the situation at the southern border is a problem, a new NPR/Ipsos poll shows. Bipartisan majorities also support a way for some immigrants to become citizens.

Four migrant families that were separated at the border by the Trump administration will be allowed to reunify in the United States this week, the secretary of Homeland Security announced.

Undocumented migrants trekking on foot and packed into vehicles are heading north from the southern border in greater numbers. Some are dying along the way, and Border Patrol agents are frustrated.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents encountered nearly 172,000 migrants at the border in March, up 71% from February. The increase included a record number of unaccompanied minors.

Any effort to address what's happening on the border has to start with root causes in Central America, says Cecilia Muñoz, who was head of the Domestic Policy Council in the Obama administration.

Officials are trying to shrink the timetable for many asylum cases from "years to months." That could benefit people with legitimate asylum claims and discourage some unauthorized migration.

The Biden administration has been struggling to deal with migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border. The current increase is straining resources and sowing confusion for migrants on both sides of the border.

As Biden stated, crossings often rise during the early months of the year as the weather improves. But the number of unaccompanied children arriving is considerably higher than in the recent years.

Some Mexicans with family ties or dual citizenship in the U.S., or who can afford the airfare, head north of the border to get vaccinated faster than the months of waiting for one back home.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection released photos and video of Texas immigrant processing centers that have faced fresh criticism for overcrowding and poor conditions.