Washington, Apr 16 (EFE).- The arrests of migrants trying to cross the southern border of the United States irregularly decreased by 96% in the first two months of the year, according to figures provided to Efe by an official from the Department of Homeland Security. .
January and February of this year saw the lowest level of arrests since 2021 after arrests of Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans dropped from an average of 1,231 in early January to an average of 46 in late February.
“The Biden-Harris Administration’s border control measures, which combine safe, orderly, and legal processes, are working to reduce irregular migration,” the source said.
In early January, the Biden Administration decided to expand a controversial health regulation, known as Title 42 to allow hot expulsions at the border of people from Nicaragua, Cuba and Haiti.
In addition to these three nationalities, Venezuelans also began to be expelled to Mexico under this restriction since last October.
In parallel to the greater restrictions on the right to asylum at the border, the Joe Biden Executive also created a humanitarian permit program for people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela.
According to data from the Department of Homeland Security official, as of March 31, 55,000 Cubans, Nicaraguans, and Haitians received travel authorization. For Venezuelans, more than 40,000 have been authorized from October to March.
Nearly 15,000 Cubans, more than 18,000 Haitians, more than 7,500 Nicaraguans, and more than 32,000 Venezuelans have already reached the United States legally through these processes.
“Since the President’s announcement in January, arrests at ports of entry on the Southwest border have dropped dramatically. The successful use of these processes clearly demonstrates that non-citizens prefer to use a safe, legal, and orderly path to the United States if one is available, rather than place their lives in the hands of ruthless smugglers,” he added.
The Biden administration’s use of Title 42 has been widely criticized by human rights organizations and even some members of the Democratic Party.
At the end of January, a group of 80 Democratic congressmen, led by Senator Robert Menéndez, asked the Executive to reverse the decision to expel people from Cuba, Nicaragua and Haiti who cross the border with Mexico irregularly.
The Biden government has defended itself against criticism of the use of Title 42, ensuring that it must continue to apply that regulation by order of the Supreme Court.
The rule, inherited from the term of former Republican President Donald Trump (2017-2021), has allowed more than 2.5 million expulsions of migrants since it came into effect in 2020, according to data from the International Rescue Committee organization.
