US announces measures to deter Caribbean migrants from illegal entry
The US Departments of State and Homeland Security (DHS) have announced new steps to discourage Caribbean and other migrants from entering the nation illegally.
The announcement came just one day before the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency and the lifting of the pandemic-era Title 42 public health order, which allowed the government to halt the entry of people and imports in order to prevent the introduction of a communicable disease from outside the continental US.
According to the State Department, when the Title 42 order is lifted by midnight Thursday, the US will strengthen its enforcement of long-standing Title 8 immigration authorities to expeditiously process and remove individuals who arrive at the US border illegally and do not have a legal basis to remain.
“Individuals who enter the United States at the southwest border without authorization or using a lawful pathway, and without scheduling a time to arrive at a port of entry, will be presumed ineligible for asylum, absent an applicable exception,” the State Department said.
“If they are removed, they will be barred from re-entry for at least five years and may face criminal prosecution for multiple attempts to enter illegally.”
The US says Haitians, Cubans and Venezuelans are among migrants storming the country’s southern border in their bid to enter the country. Many of those who have crossed the border have claimed refuge.
The Biden administration said that as part of the comprehensive, multi-agency, multi-country plan to prepare for the return to processing of Caribbean and other migrants under Title 8, additional sweeping measures will include opening the first regional processing centers to direct individuals to lawful pathways; deploying the first group of additional troops to support border patrol; surging additional resources to manage increased encounters; and issuing new rules to encourage migration.
The State Department stated that it intends to build approximately 100 regional processing centers in major areas throughout the Western Hemisphere, and that it would create an online portal for individuals to book appointments to visit a center near them in the coming days.
Over 140 US federal personnel, including DHS and State Department personnel, as well as personnel from the International Organization for Migration and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, are being deployed to support these “brick-and-mortar centers, which will serve to direct migrants to lawful pathways early in their journey and well before reaching the southwest border,” according to the State Department.
“Personnel at Regional Processing Centres will screen individuals for eligibility for US refugee resettlement or other lawful pathways to the United States, Canada, and Spain,” according to the State Department.
