The president of the United States, Joe Biden, asked on Thursday Cubans, Nicaraguans and Haitians with the intention of emigrating to the northern country not to travel to the southern border with Mexico because they will be expelled under the expansion of a “humanitarian parole” program that will allow the entry of a quota of migrants per month, but will declare those who try to enter irregularly ineligible.
“Do not come to the border, stay where you are,” Biden warned in a speech from the White House, where he confirmed that his administration will grant 30,000 visas per month to nationals of Cuba, Nicaragua and Haiti within a humanitarian visa program that he already applied to Venezuelans, in order to reduce the record number of migrant arrivals to the country.
The president said that “together Cuba, Haiti, and Nicaragua account for the majority of people trying to cross the southern border, where he announced that he will travel this Sunday, while announcing that Mexico agreed to receive 30,000 people a month trying to cross illegally into the US.
“We cannot blame those who try to reach the United States, who try to flee from oppression to the freest nation in the world (…) but there are legal ways to get there,” insisted Biden, who specified some details of the humanitarian program, to which it applies online and for which a sponsor within the northern country is necessary.
He explained that the applicant must pass a rigorous background check and emphasized that if the person is rejected after applying or is caught trying to enter through any of the US borders, they will be disqualified and declared ineligible.
Biden referred to the success of the application of the “humanitarian parole” in Venezuelans, after which the arrivals of nationals of that South American country have been “dramatically reduced” from 1,100 to only 200 per day, according to data from the Casa White.
He also alluded to criticism of his administration’s immigration policy, considered “weak” and “insufficient” by members of the Republican party.
The Democratic president regretted that immigration reform is no longer a “bipartisan issue” and accused “extreme Republicans” of “refusing to cooperate” and blocking his request for 3.5 billion dollars to finance the expansion of border personnel, as well as as asylum officials and judges “so that people do not have to wait years to complete their requests.”
“Border issues did not arise overnight and they will not be resolved overnight. It is a political problem,” emphasized Biden, who also stressed that his administration is fine-tuning preparations for when the end of Title 42 becomes effective, the health measure by which asylum seekers are expelled to Mexico, whose limit has been temporarily postponed. by the US Supreme Court.
The Biden government’s immigration policy has been widely criticized by Republicans, who they blame him for what they classify as a “crisis” on the southern border of the United States.
DHS announces new measures
The Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Alejandro Mayorkas, who spoke minutes after President Biden’s speech, announced the new measures to limit illegal immigration and provide a legal path for those seeking to emigrate to the US.
Mayorkas said that, effective immediately, migrants from Cuba, Nicaragua and Haiti who attempted to enter the US illegally would be expeditiously expelled.
The secretary said that the requirements to participate in the program include that migrants have a sponsor in the US, pass a security check and meet certain public health requirements, including vaccinations.
The applications can be made from a mobile phone through the CBPOne application, the secretary said.
Migrants caught trying to enter Mexico or Panama illegally will not be eligible to participate in the program, Mayorkas said.
Mayorkas said DHS continues to prepare for the end of Title 42. When Title 42 is phased out, DHS will begin implementing Title 8 and expedited removal of irregular migrants, he told reporters.
“Whether or not there is Title 42, the border is not open”, insisted once more Mayorkas.
The secretary referred to the risks migrants face to reach the border irregularly, and cited tragedies of migrants who have died on the journey. Migrants should “stay where they are” and apply to the program from there through the app, he said.
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