Over 73,000 migrants crossed the southern border in the last 10 days according to the US Border Patrol — who admitted a further 17,000 illegal “got aways” avoided detection and entered the country as it reaches the end of Title 42 on May 11.
In a bid to slow the number of illegal immigrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, the Biden administration has announced it will set up migrant processing centers in Latin America, expand legal migration pathways, and increase deportations.
The administration is preparing to discontinue Title 42, a pandemic-era policy that allowed swift expulsions of migrants without processing their asylum claims.
Unlawful border crossings have already increased in the lead-up to the policy change, with officials projecting that migrant arrivals to the southern border could spike to between 10,000 and 13,000 per day next month.
The brick-and-mortar processing centers will be regional hubs located in key checkpoints in Latin America, starting with Colombia and Guatemala, and will vet migrants for eligibility to enter the U.S. legally or be resettled in Canada or Spain.
The Family Reunification program will also be expanded to allow citizens of Colombia, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras to come to the U.S. under the humanitarian parole authority.
The Biden administration has been working on a rule to disqualify migrants from asylum if they enter the country illegally after failing to seek humanitarian protection in a third country they transited through on their way to the U.S.
It has also launched an initiative to speed up the initial asylum screenings that migrants undergo when they are processed under regular immigration laws.
The measures announced on Thursday also addressed concerns about the sharp increase in maritime migration in the Caribbean Sea and Florida straits over the past year.
Add comment