US officials warned on Monday of “harsher” consequences for migrants who attempt to enter the United States illegally across the border from Mexico.
On May 11, restrictions on entering the United States imposed amid the COVID-19 pandemic were lifted, including restrictions on seeking political asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border that were in place for three years.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesman Blas Nunez-Neto told reporters that there has been a drop in attempts to illegally cross the border over the past 3 days.
This is mainly due to the new requirements the Biden administration has imposed on asylum seekers at the border with Mexico, the opening of new legal avenues to seek asylum outside the United States and increased security. at the borders.
Previously, the US Border Patrol had warned for several months that the end of restrictions, in place since March 2020, could lead to a sharp increase in the number of illegal border crossings. The restrictions have allowed US authorities to send migrants to Mexico or other countries without the possibility of seeking asylum in the United States.
However, the number of illegally detained migrants crossing the US-Mexico border has now fallen to an average of 5,000 a day, a DHS spokesperson said, from a daily high of more than 10,000 last week.
Nunez-Neto said Mexico and Guatemala have also tightened controls at their southern borders by sending troops there, while Panama and Colombia have clamped down on smuggling rings.
According to Nunez-Neto, thousands of migrants have been deported since Friday and 2,400 people have been returned to Mexico, including Cubans, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans whom Mexico has agreed to continue accepting as deportees.
The Biden administration has brought in additional staff to transition to the new standards, including officers from Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) who process asylum applications.
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