Illegal border crossings from Mexico to the US reach a yearly high

SAN DIEGO (AP) — A spike in immigration from Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua in September pushed the number of illegal immigrants to the highest level ever recorded for a fiscal year, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Year-end numbers reflect worsening economic and political conditions in some countries, the relative strength of the US economy, and uneven enforcement of Trump-era asylum restrictions.

Immigration was stopped 227,547 times at the US border with Mexico in September. In August 2021 he was up 11.5% from 204,087 and 18.5% from 192,001 in September 2021.

In the fiscal year ended September 30, 2.38 million immigrants were stopped, up 37% from 1.73 million the year before. according to the numbers Released late Friday night. The annual total surpassed his 2 million mark for the first time in August, more than double his high in 2019 under Donald Trump.

About 78,000 immigrants from Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua were blocked in September, compared to about 58,000 from Mexico and three countries in North and Central America that have historically dominated the flow. target.

of significant geographic change It is, at least in part, a result of Title 42, a public health rule suspending the right to see asylum under US and international law on the grounds of preventing the spread of COVID-19.

Due to strained diplomatic relations, the US cannot deport immigrants to Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua. As a result, they are mostly released in the United States to pursue immigration cases.

Title 42 powers have been applied 2.4 million times since they began in March 2020, falling disproportionately on immigrants from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

U.S. and Mexican officials said Friday that Venezuelan immigration to the U.S. has plummeted by 80% since Oct. 12, when the U.S. began deporting Venezuelans to Mexico under Title 42. Just as tens of thousands of Ukrainians have come since Russia invaded their country, if they apply online with a financial sponsor and enter through the airport, they will be granted humanitarian parole to the United States.

“This early data is not reflected in the[September]report, but it confirms what we have been saying all along: with legal and orderly immigration, individuals are putting their lives at risk. They are less likely to be exposed to smugglers trying to smuggle and illegally cross the border,” said CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus.

The expansion of Title 42 for Venezuelans to be deported to Mexico was blocked by a federal judge despite the government’s attempt to terminate public health officials in May.

Venezuela national team second largest nationality For the second month in a row, it was the second-most border stop for Mexicans, with 33,804 stops in September, a 33% increase from 25,361 in August.

Cubans participating in maximum escape Since 1980, travelers to the United States from the Caribbean islands have been stopped 26,178 times at the border in September, a 37% increase from 19,060 in August.

Nicaraguans were stopped 18,199 times in September, a 55% increase from 7,298 in August.

The report is the final monthly report on immigration flows ahead of the U.S. midterm elections, an issue many Republicans have highlighted in their campaigns to gain control of the House and Senate. Republicans on the House Homeland Security Committee issued a one-word statement Saturday in response to the numbers.