This is the eleventh edition of the Biden Tracking newsletter. This week the Biden Administration sought a deal to allow non-Mexicans to be deported to Mexico, and we learned that the Pentagon is supplying specific coordinates for some Ukranian missile strikes, about to receive its biggest budget in history, and had shot down an Iranian-manufactured drone in Syria. It is Wednesday, February 15th, 2023, day 757 of the Biden Presidency.
Wednesday, February 8th (Day 750)
Biden Officials Seek Border Deal with Mexico to Allow Non-Mexicans to be Deported to Mexico
On Wednesday, the Washington Post reported that the Biden Administration was in negotiations with Mexico to allow U.S. authorities to carry out large-scale deportations of non-Mexicans back across the border for the first time. These deportations would be limited to Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans. Title 42, which will likely end following the end of the COVID emergency in May, allowed expulsions in Mexico for non-Mexicans. These expulsions led to 13,000 cases of murders, rapes, and kidnappings for Asylum seekers in Mexico. By proposing this policy, the Biden Administration is purposely putting Asylum seekers in harm's way.
Thursday, February 9th (Day 751)
Pentagon Has Been Providing Ukraine with Specific Coordinates for Missle Strikes
On Thursday, the Washington Post reported that the Pentagon has been providing specific coordinates for some Ukranian missile strikes. Though Ukraine does not seek approval from the United States on what to strike and routinely targets Russian forces on their own with other weapons. This is our first true indication of how involved the United States is in the war in Ukraine. It is not entirely clear what the Russians consider this kind of assistance to be.
Friday, February 10th (Day 752)
Biden Administration to Ask Congress for Largest Pentagon Budget in History
On Friday, Politico reported that the Biden Administration will be asking Congress for the largest Pentagon budget in history for 2024. The ask will likely include funding for munitions to replenish U.S. stockpiles and support the continued fight in Ukraine. However, it is unclear how Congress will react to this funding. The Republican majority in the House is looking to cut spending, and some members of the Republican party want those cuts to come from the Pentagon. In past years, Congress has actually added more funding than requested by the Biden Administration for the Pentagon. A fight over Pentagon funding will likely not happen until late 2023.
Tuesday, February 14th (Day 756)
Biden Admin shoots down Iranian-made drone in Syria
On Tuesday, the U.S. Central Command announced they had shot down an Iranian-manufactured drone in Syria. It was not immediately clear why the United States decided to shoot down the drone. The U.S. operates “counterterrorism missions” in Syria, to support a Kurdish-led group known as the Syrian Democratic Forces. There are about 900 U.S. soldiers in Syria.
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