Illegal Border Crossings From Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua Plummet After New Biden Policy Implemented
The Biden administration implemented a new policy to curb illegal border crossings from Latin American and Caribbean countries, especially from Haiti, Nicaragua, Cuba, and Venezuela. Now, the initial numbers are released and the new Biden policy seems to be working.
Migrant arrivals at the U.S.-Mexico border from Haiti, Nicaragua, and Cuba, reached record levels in December, the highest in Joe Biden's presidency.
However, a few weeks after Biden announced that he will be expanding his policy of offering legal pathways for Venezuelans to come to the United States for migrants from Cuba, Haiti, and Nicaragua, those numbers have so far dropped, according to the Miami Herald.
Immigrants From Haiti, Nicaragua, and Cuba Arriving Less According to the Department of Homeland Security
The Biden policy was first made available for Venezuelans, seeing a huge drop in the number of Venezuelans trying to cross the border from Mexico. The new numbers from the Department of Homeland Security suggest it is also working for the other nationalities. The number of encounters with Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans unlawfully crossing the border had "declined 97% compared to December."
"Encounters with individuals from these countries dropped from a 7-day average of 3,367 per day on December 11, to a seven-day average of just 115 on January 24," according to the DHS report.
READ MORE: Migrants at the Border Could Now Apply for Asylum Online
The DHS also pointed out that this drop happened even after the "typical seasonal decline over the holidays."
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas stated that this showed that the new measures are working. He then criticized some of the states who sought to block the measure as they will also be benefitting from these said "highly effective enforcement measures." He also warned that blocking this measure would cause more irregular migration, according to the Associated Press.
The numbers from Customs and Border Patrol agents back the claim as they only recorded an average of 115 encounters with migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela per day at the U.S.-Mexico border. This is way down from the daily average of 3,367, last recorded on December 11.
Texas Challenging New Biden Policy on Immigration
The new policy will allow up to 360,000 people to enter the United States a year, as it offers a legal pathway for people to come into the country. However, Texas is trying to stop this large-scale humanitarian parole with a lawsuit, according to Yahoo! News.
"This unlawful amnesty program, which will invite hundreds of thousands of aliens into the U.S. every year, will only make this immigration crisis drastically worse," said Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
However, despite these claims, the migrants will still have to go through a vetting process. So far, 1,700 Cubans, Nicaraguans, and Haitians have reached the United States on humanitarian parole under the new Biden policy which was announced earlier this month. Thousands more are expected to arrive.
The DHS also added that the numbers for the month of January were on track to be the "lowest since February 2021."
READ MORE: Venezuelan Migrant Numbers at U.S.-Mexico Border Drop by 90%
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Rick Martin
WATCH: Border gaps near Yuma seeing less migrants - KGUN9
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