At the border between Mexico and the United States, the scene repeats itself every day: migrants cross the Rio Bravo from the Mexican city of Piedras Negras to Eagle Pass, Texas.
A dangerous crossing that thousands of migrants undertake every year in search of a better future.
The number of Venezuelans, Cubans, and Nicaraguans apprehended at the United States’ southern border skyrocketed in August, while migrants from Mexico and other high-immigration countries were apprehended less frequently, U.S. authorities said on Monday (19).
According to the U.S. government, the United States apprehended 56,000 migrants from Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua in the past month, compared to 49,826 in July and 23,141 in August 2021.
At the same time, for the third straight month, fewer migrants from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras were arrested.
Read also: Check out our coverage on Venezuela
In total, the authorities apprehended around 203,000 migrants in August. In July this year, 199,976 migrants were apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border, compared to 213,593 in August 2021.
While it is impossible to pinpoint a single reason for the sudden shift in migration flows, it is extremely complicated for the U.S. to deport migrants from these countries under a pandemic-era rule known as Title 42.
These can be invoked by U.S. authorities to deny asylum claims because the spread of COVID-19 must be prevented.
U.S. relations with Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua are very strained, making the repatriation of migrants from these three countries difficult or nearly impossible.
Mexico has committed to taking in migrants from Guatemala, Honduras, or El Salvador in addition to Mexicans who are being expelled under “Title 42”. Although the regulation theoretically applies to all nationalities, people from these four countries are most affected.
President Joe Biden’s administration has reached out to other countries on the continent to take in more people fleeing their homes, including Mexico, Costa Rica -which is home to many Nicaraguans- and Colombia, which has taken in millions of Venezuelans in recent years.
Venezuelan immigration fell sharply earlier in the year after Mexico imposed restrictions on air travel, but has picked up again in recent months as more and more of them arrive by land. In July, U.S. authorities detained 17,651 Venezuelan migrants at the border with Mexico, most in and around Eagle Pass and Del Rio, Texas.