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The number of migrants caught illegally crossing the US-Mexico border in January plummeted amid a seasonal slowdown and the implementation of new restrictions imposed by US President Joe Biden, a mild relief as he grapples with record transfers.
US Border Patrol agents have arrested an average of about 4,000 immigrants a day in January, three US officials told Reuters this week. The figure is below an average of about 7,400 a day during the week before Christmas, one of the officials said.
At the current rate, border arrests could be the lowest since February 2021, a month after Biden took office. But it’s not yet clear whether the trend will hold through the rest of the month, and well beyond.
Biden, a Democrat who intends to seek re-election in 2024, earlier this month expanded COVID-19-related restrictions that allow migrants stuck at the US-Mexico border to be quickly expelled back into the country. Mexican.
The restrictions, known as Title 42had previously been applied to Mexicans, some Central Americans and Venezuelans and were extended to Cubans, Haitians and Nicaraguans after Mexico accepted those nationalities.
At the same time, the Biden administration launched a new humanitarian entry program for 30,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans per month if they have US sponsors and enter by air.
“The process we have created is safe, fast and only costs the price of a commercial airline ticket,” said a Biden administration official. “Compared to the thousands of dollars smugglers charge migrants for a dangerous journey, the choice is clear.”
Several US officials said border arrests typically drop from late December to early January due to holidays, which likely contributed to the January drop.
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