A senior US official revealed on Thursday that that nation has expelled more than 145,000 migrants since May and will continue to “enforce the laws.”
The 12th of May, the administration of President Joe Biden lifted a health regulation known as Title 42 that made it possible to block almost all migrants who arrived without the necessary documents to enter the country.
At the same time implemented new rules to enter, which in practice restrict access to asylum, for example, forcing migrants to request an appointment through a mobile phone application (CBP One) or to process it in the countries through which they transit.
Those who attempt to enter by circumventing these “legal pathways” may be removed through expedited removals.
“We have already deported more than 145,000 people since May 12 and we continue to enforce the laws of the United States”declared Luis Miranda, deputy undersecretary for communication of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), at a virtual press conference.
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Washington has been applying Title 8 since May, a rule that allows expulsion with a ban on re-entry for 5 years and possible prosecution.
To reach US soil, most migrants embark on dangerous journeys. One part crosses the Darién jungle, a swampy area between Panama and Colombia without infrastructure for a massive flow of people.
According to the Department of Immigration of Panama, from January 1 to August 8, more than 267,000 people have crossed the Darién.
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Many of the migrants currently passing through the Darién are Venezuelans and Ecuadorians.
Many of the migrants currently passing through the Darién are “Venezuelan and Ecuadorian”, said at the same press conference Marta Youth, Deputy Undersecretary of State of the Office of Population, Refugees and Migration.
Miranda attributes part of this migration to “rumors” and “lies” that are spread on social networks.
“Through TikTok and other social networks they make it seem like the Darién crossing is not that difficult,” he says, insisting that people “don’t believe what comes to them on WhatsApp.”
The United States, Colombia and Panama have intervened to counter criminal gangs that extort migrants.
According to Miranda, since April 20, The United States has helped “to mobilize more than 3,880 Colombian and Panamanian security forces in the Darién and more than 271,000 pounds (123,000 kilos) of cargo.”
Among the “legal channels” to migrate are the Safe Mobility Offices opened in Colombia, Guatemala and Costa Rica, where the United States pre-selects migrants who will be able to enter the country.
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In them, experts and officials determine whether migrants can access refugee status, a temporary stay authorization, family reunification or a work permit.
As of August 10, “more than 19,000 people have registered in Colombia and Guatemala,” and in Costa Rica, the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had access “to 4,500 people, of whom more than 1,300 were referred to the refugee program,” Youth explained.
AFP
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