In addition to thousands of the newly admitted immigrants under the Biden Administration’s term, more than one million undocumented immigrants from several different countries have been granted temporary entry into the nation with hopes of gaining asylum. The process of reviewing each immigrant case can take up to an average of seven years until a hearing decision is made on their behalf due to the nation’s clogged immigration system. Many of these immigrants have been temporarily seeking shelter at several hotels, and family shelters around the nation. The Howard Johnson Hotel, and the Portland family shelter is one of the handful providing assistance to the new immigrants and accepting house vouchers from the city. Mike Guthrie, the director of Portland’s family shelter recently explained how word is going around that they are willing to help down in Maine, causing the community to continue growing to an overwhelming extent.
To further elaborate, the Biden Administration has admitted these individuals after they crossed the border, and has permitted them to remain in the country while they await their immigration hearings. Many of those migrants are waiting years to seek asylum due to the backlog throughout the immigration system. Biden is giving these individuals the opportunity to settle down in the United States during the duration of their hearings and the time leading up to them.