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One of Joe Biden's campaign promises was a more humane immigration policy.
Unlike Donald Trump, he will not have unaccompanied minors turned away at the border, the Democratic candidate announced.
Biden is now president and the pressure on the border with Mexico has been increasing for weeks.
Because Biden's words sounded like an invitation to those willing to migrate.
In February alone, more than 100,000 people who tried to enter the United States illegally were apprehended.
And again there are pictures of children who are housed under unworthy circumstances.
And there could be more: The Wall Street Journal reports internal documents that indicate that even more children and young people could illegally cross the southern border into the United States in the coming months - up to 25,000 in May.
The influx could continue into autumn.
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The president has set himself a mammoth task: an immigration reform, on which his predecessor Barack Obama had already failed.
At the same time, he wants to invest in economic development, public safety and the rule of law in the countries of Central America.
That is a correct idea, as it starts with the causes of migration: the extreme wealth gap between the USA and the southern neighbors.
Many migrants are driven by the legitimate desire for a decent life, for security, protection and freedom.
The number of illegal border crossings from Mexico is exploding
US President Biden has stopped a major project by his predecessor: the wall in Mexico.
The number of illegal immigrants crossing the Mexican-American border is skyrocketing.
Tugs are booming.
Source: WELT / Steffen Schwarzkopf
Joe Biden faces a balancing act: he has to correct Trump's policies while at the same time repelling the onslaught on the southern border.
The latter threatens to fail.
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And the pressure on the border weakens the political will for real reforms in American immigration policy.
Meanwhile, the Republicans are accusing the president of causing the new migration crisis with his policies.
Biden's dilemma will look familiar to Europeans.
The mere announcement of a liberal migration policy leads people to undertake life-threatening journeys, be it across the Mediterranean or across Latin America.
For Europe as for the USA, the unpopular realization is that strict border protection is the prerequisite for reforms that make a humane immigration policy possible.