[1/4] A member of the Texas National Guard stands near a vehicle along the Rio Bravo River, the US-Mexico border, as seen from El Paso, Texas, USA , December 22, 2022. REUTERS / Carlos Barria
WASHINGTON, Dec 28 (Reuters) – The Biden administration plans to use pandemic-era restrictions to deport scores of Cuban, Nicaraguan and Haitian migrants captured at the southwestern border to Mexico, while simultaneously allowing some to enter the United States by air for humanitarian reasons. motives, according to three US officials familiar with the matter.
This latest policy under consideration comes after the US Supreme Court ruled this week that pandemic-era restrictions, known as Title 42, must remain in place for what could be months while that a legal battle over their future unfolds.
Under Title 42, originally issued in March 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic under former Republican President Donald Trump, border agents can quickly deport migrants to Mexico without giving them the opportunity to seek asylum. .
Frosty diplomatic relations between the United States and the governments of Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela have complicated deportations to those countries. A growing number of migrants from these countries have arrived at the US-Mexico border seeking US asylum amid economic and political turmoil in their country.
The new rules for Cubans, Nicaraguans and Haitians would be modeled after an existing program for Venezuelans launched in October. The program allows up to 24,000 Venezuelans outside the United States to apply to enter the country by air on “humanitarian parole” if they have American sponsors. Venezuelans caught trying to cross the border are usually sent back to Mexico.
Mexico only accepted deportation of certain nationalities, mostly Mexicans and Central Americans, under Title 42. But after Mexico agreed to take back the Venezuelans in October, their crossings dropped dramatically, with some giving up and going home.
Two officials said the policy change for Cubans, Haitians and Nicaraguans could come as soon as this week. A third official said it could be applied to the first two groups this week and to Nicaraguans at a later date. No final decision has been made, a fourth US official told Reuters. Officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal planning.
Haiti has accepted deportees and migrants deported under Title 42, but lawmakers and lawyers have criticized the Biden administration for returning people as the country goes through political and economic turmoil.
Deportation, under a law known as Title 8, is a more formal and time-consuming process that can lead to lengthy bans on re-entry into the United States compared to deportations that can take a few hours under of Title 42.
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Mexican officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
US officials said Title 42 was originally put in place to curb the spread of COVID, but the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has since said it is no longer needed for public health reasons. Immigrant advocates say this puts vulnerable migrants at serious risk, such as kidnapping or assault, in Mexican border towns.
‘HUMANITARIAN PAROLE’
US President Joe Biden, a Democrat, has struggled with unprecedented levels of migrant crossings at the US-Mexico border since taking office in January 2021, fueling criticism from Republicans and some members of his own party who say that its policies are too lax. See the article : The United States and Canada seek consultations on Mexico’s energy policies under the USMCA.
U.S. Border Patrol agents apprehended a record 2.2 million migrants at the southwest border in fiscal year 2022, which ended September 30. Nearly half of those arrested were promptly deported under the Title 42 policy.
Under the new Venezuelan parole program, more than 14,000 Venezuelans had been screened and cleared to travel to the United States and more than 5,900 had already arrived legally by Nov. 30, according to DHS.
After the launch of the Venezuelan program, the number of Venezuelans caught illegally crossing the United States dropped nearly 70%, from about 21,000 encounters in October to 6,200 in November, according to U.S. Customs data. and Border Protection (CBP) published last week.
Crossings from Cuba and Nicaragua rose 38% over the same period, with around 68,000 migrants entering the country in November, up from 49,000 a month earlier.
Few Haitians have been caught crossing the US-Mexico border in recent months, as thousands have been allowed to apply for humanitarian entry at US ports of entry.
In a border management plan released earlier this month, the agency said it intended to build on the model presented by the Venezuelan program.
The parole program for Venezuelans was similar to the one created following Russia’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine, which allows Ukrainians with American sponsors to enter and temporarily stay in the United States. by applying from outside the country.
Reporting by Ted Hesson in Washington and Mica Rosenberg in New York; Additional reporting by Dave Graham in Mexico City; Editing by Mary Milliken and Aurora Ellis
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