WASHINGTON — United States Restrict visas to directors of several Colombian companies of sea transport that facilitate the “irregular migration”reported this Monday the Department of State.
“These companies take advantage of irregular migrants vulnerable operating services designed primarily to facilitate irregular migration to USA“State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.
“Several companies that provide maritime transportation are consciously facilitating the irregular movement of migrants and exposing them to exploitation and violence,” he added, without specifying which companies.
The sanctions not only seek to punish those responsible but also to send “a signal.”
“No one should take advantage of migrants vulnerable: neither human traffickers, nor private companies, nor public officials,” Miller insisted.
These sanctions fall within a policy promoted by Washington last February, a few months before the November presidential elections that the Democratic president will contest Joe Bidenwho is up for re-election, and the Republican Donald Trump. The influx of migrants is one of the issues that most concerns American voters.
A few months ago, the Biden government announced that it will restrict visas to owners and directors of charter flight, land and sea transportation companies that facilitate the “irregular migration“.
In March, the US border patrol intercepted migrants and asylum seekers, mostly Latin Americans, who illegally crossed the border with Mexico 189,372 times. Mexicoaccording to official data.
It is somewhat less than in February and considerably less than the almost 302,000 last December, but the government expects the figure to increase with the arrival of the heat in May, June and July.
Illegal immigration is seen as a growing political crisis for Democrats, after authorities both at the border and in cities across the country have struggled to deal with recent surges in migrants.
Source: With information from AFP
