2023-08-21 20:25:55
The number of arrests of undocumented Colombians in the United States, especially on the southern border, continued on a downward trend during the month of July, according to new official statistics from the Customs and Border Patrol (CPB) that were known by this journal.
(Also: Why is the Georgia indictment a bigger challenge for former President Trump?)
According to the CPB during that month, the arrests totaled 6,627, of which 5,952 were registered at this point of entry.
(You can read: Ombudsman says from the US that the ELN imposes an armed strike in Chocó during the ceasefire)
Although the figures for July mark a slight increase compared to the previous month (June) when 5,384 were documented, it is the second lowest recorded since January 2022 (4,328) and represents a third of the number of arrests that had been carried out on average over the last 18 months.
In May, for example, the number of detainees had reached more than 18,000.
(We recommend: Why is it not easy to renegotiate FTA with the United States, as Gustavo Petro proposes?)
The number is also low when compared to July of last year when 14,015 Colombians were arrested. In general terms, the new statistic breaks with the upward trend of the last two fiscal years in the United States, where all previous records in terms of arrests were broken.
In fiscal year 2022, the border patrol arrested more than 130,000 Colombians, while in 2023 there are already 1,434,617, a record number in at least 30 years of this type of statistics.
Although the reasons behind the downturn that has been occurring since June are not clear, there are several factors that could be influencing. On the one hand, there are the new immigration measures that the Joe Biden administration has been applying since the end of the so-called Title 42 in May and that now provide for strong punishments for people who have been arrested without having previously requested asylum in the country that served as transit to reach the United States.
(Also: The cases of fraud in Miami against Colombians seeking to migrate to the United States)
Deportation in these cases -as of May 11- implies that the person will no longer be able to enter the United States or apply for any type of immigration visa for at least five years.
The United States, on the other hand, is demanding that an appointment be obtained through an application that it launched in May and that is also a condition so that they are not automatically denied asylum and, apparently, Colombians are being recommended and others remain in Mexico until obtaining that appointment before making the journey.
Additionally, in the specific case of Colombians, the announcement of a family reunification program for compatriots with relatives in the United States and the efforts of the governments of both countries to expand legal migration opportunities could have begun to have an impact on the flow.
(Also read: Why do some in the US Congress think that Petro is ungrateful?)
Likewise, other factors, such as the extreme temperatures that have been recorded in this area of the country, are mentioned as possible causes of the decline. A few weeks ago, in fact, the border patrol reported that a Colombian woman had died after trying to cross the border on one of the hottest days of summer.
Even so, the collapse of the migration of Colombians is particular when compared with the figures of illegal immigration of other nationalities. Although in June there was a decrease in the number of immigrants detained compared to the previous month (from 275,000 in May to 211,000), arrests in July rose again to 245,000, which is a similar figure to that of the same month. in 2022 (239 thousand).
(In addition: The United States Congress shows its divisions on the Government of Gustavo Petro)
However, in the case of Colombians, it continued to be 200 percent lower when compared to July of last year and May of this year.
SERGIO GÓMEZ MASERI
EL TIEMPO correspondent
Washington
En Twitter @sergom68
#United #States #Colombian #migration #continues #drop #USA #International