Irregular crossings are drastically reduced after the end of Title 42

Interceptions of migrants seeking to reach the United States from Mexico dropped more than 70% with the end of Title 42A senior U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official said Friday, as both nations struggle to reduce mass irregular migration.

Since May 12, one day after the COVID-19 era law was lifted, the Border Patrol intercepted an average of 4,000 people a day, and during the last 48 hours some 3,000, explained Blas Nuñez-Neto. , DHS official.

“We are encouraged by the latest progress we have made in recent weeks, but we know very well that it is too early to draw any definitive conclusions or predict what will happen in the coming weeks,” he added at a press conference.

According to statistics from the Department of Homeland Security, more than 11,000 repatriations have taken place in this time. Some 1,100 Venezuelan, Cuban, Nicaraguan and Haitian citizens have been placed in expedited removal proceedings and sent to Mexico.

The report by the US authorities shared this Friday also accounts for the reduction in migrants arrested along the border, and emphasizes that the only legal route available is through an appointment with the immigration authorities.

“Let them use the application CBP One. It is completely free through the Google Play Store or through the Apple App Store, and it is a safe way to have an appointment with us, ”he explained to the voice of america Elías Rodríguez, spokesman for Customs and Border Control in Brownsville, Texas.

The Impact of Title 8

Title 42 was in effect since March 2020 and allowed border agents to quickly return asylum seekers across the border on the grounds of preventing the spread of COVID-19. The US declared the end of the national emergency, ending the restrictions.

But while Title 42 prevented many from seeking asylum, it carried no legal consequences, encouraging repeated attempts to cross the border. After Thursday, illegal crossers face Title 8, a rule that provides for the possibility of being barred from entering the country for up to five years, as well as possible criminal charges.

All this occurs while in Mexico the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and various civil organizations denounce that migrant shelters operate at maximum capacity.

The UN agency expressed its concern at “the pressure on civil society shelters for refugees and migrants” and stressed that, in general, “they do not have information about their process, they face deficiencies in reception capacity in Mexico and uncertainty about their legal status.

A 30-year-old man drowned in a canal in El Paso, Texas, Thursday night, and an 8-year-old girl with heart problems died in hospital following a “clinical emergency” while in Border Patrol custody.

[Con información de Jorge Agobian, periodista de la VOA, desde Washington. Parte del reporte procede de Reuters]

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