Even if the asylum restrictions imposed in 2020 by former President Donald Trump may end, the United States will continue to expeditiously expel migrants who cross the border illegally and have no legal basis to stay in the country, Blas Nunez-Neto said Tuesday. Acting Assistant Secretary for Border Policy and Immigration of the Department of Homeland Security.
In addition, he indicated that talks are underway with third countries to repatriate nationals whose returns to their countries of origin cannot be done directly. One of these cases is that of the Venezuelans —since Washington does not have diplomatic relations with Caracas— and for this they are talking, among others, with Mexico, said the undersecretary.
Nunez-Neto offered a virtual press conference after a US judge ordered last week that the asylum restrictions that Trump imposed in March 2020 on the grounds of preventing the spread of the pandemic must end by December 21. Since that date there have been 2.4 million expulsions for that public health law called Title 42.
Another judge from another state had previously ruled that rule should continue, and on Monday night 15 conservative US states filed an initiative to join the legal battle and try to get Title 42 to continue.
All these movements take place amid a growing flow of migrants to the United States, especially Venezuelans. Washington announced in October a plan to offer legal visas to a part of these nationals who meet certain requirements, such as arriving in the United States by air and after applying for permission virtually.
UN agencies and countries like Mexico welcomed this program of granting visas to Venezuelans, although they trusted that it could be expanded.
The Joe Biden administration has been preparing for the end of Title 42 for more than a year and, according to the official, is putting in place a plan that, among other measures, aims to reduce the processing time for asylum seekers in the border but will have “legal consequences or expedited expulsions” for those who cross illegally.
All of this, including repatriations, would be done under an immigration law called Title 8 and that has been in force for decades.
“We know that the coyotes are spreading rumors and false information,” Nunez-Neto said. That is why he stressed that those who cross illegally and cannot stay in the United States “will be deported.”
The undersecretary did not offer details about the new plans to process asylum seekers at the border but guaranteed that the plan “takes advantage of all government resources” and added that it entails joint work with Mexico to fight traffickers.
The end of Title 42 raises fears of a greater arrival of migrants to the United States from Mexico, for which the official indicated that they have 23,000 agents working on the border.
Title 8 allows repatriations and “expedited removals” but also guarantees that if the migrant expresses fear of being returned or requests asylum, the case would have to go to a judge.
Source: El Nuevo Herald
