WASHINGTON – The US government has proposed a new immigration program to Mexico that would benefit refugees from Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela and other nationalities who are in Mexican territory waiting to cross into the United States, a source familiar with the measures told EFE. talks between the two countries.
According to that source, the program that the US and Mexico are negotiating has the objective of alleviating the migratory pressure that the Mexican government has faced for several years.
The aforementioned source did not specify what exactly the program consists of and if, like other initiatives of the Joe Biden Executive, it will allow refugees in Mexico to request asylum remotely without having to cross the border and appear at one of the patrol posts. US border.
In any case, according to that source, only refugees who have entered Mexican territory before June 6 will be eligible for this program.
The aforementioned source did not specify whether there will be a specific number of nationalities that will be eligible for the asylum program. However, most of the people who cross into the United States from Mexico come from Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Haiti, El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala, according to data from the Office of Customs and Border Protection (CBP, for its acronym in English).
To apply for asylum in the United States, anyone must show that they face persecution because of their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a specific social or ethnic group.
The Joe Biden government has implemented various measures to encourage legal migration and prevent thousands of people from crossing the border with Mexico on foot in search of asylum or better economic opportunities, which has put great pressure on the resources of some border communities. .
Currently, the main way to request asylum in the US is through a mobile application called “CBP One”, which allows those in Mexico to make appointments with US authorities to present their asylum cases.
The director of Migration of Panama affirms that organized crime has won by the rules of the international game.
However, that app only offers 1,250 appointments daily, which means available slots fill up fast.
Another program that Biden has created allows nationals of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to apply for an immigration permit to enter the United States, but only those who arrive by plane to US territory and have a sponsor who can prove that they will help them in their journey qualify. adaptation to the country.
That program, however, establishes that the delivery of immigration permits will be limited to 30,000 people per month; although, due to high demand, the number of applications processed has been half in some months, as explained by the Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS, for its acronym in English).
