Biden tries to transition from campaigning on immigration to managing a dysfunctional immigration system

Central American families were crossing the border in growing numbers when Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Feb. 6 via tweet that the Biden administration would cancel a series of Trump-era agreements with El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras to restrict asylum.

Biden supporters cheered the move as another campaign promise fulfilled, but in headlines across Central America, where deepening economic hardship has many considering a trip north, the announcement appeared to confirm the new sales pitch of smuggling guides: Donald Trump and his cruel policies are gone, and the United States is easing border controls.