Why Are Migrants Crossing the US-Mexico Border in Record Numbers?
2023-01-14
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1United States border agents made a record number of arrests in the South the past fiscal year, which ended in September.
2In an effort to deal with the situation, U.S. President Joe Biden announced new steps last week.
3He said border patrol agents would immediately start turning away Cubans, Haitians and Nicaraguans who illegally cross the border from Mexico.
4The new rules expand on an existing effort to stop Venezuelans attempting to enter the U.S.
5That effort began in October and led to a sharp drop in Venezuelans coming to the southern border.
6"Do not, do not just show up at the border," Biden said last week in his first major speech on border security.
7At the same time, he said the U.S. would permit up to 30,000 people from Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti and Venezuela to enter the country by air each month.
8During the past fiscal year, agents arrested more than 2.2 million people at the U.S.-Mexico border.
9But many of those individuals had tried to cross more than once after being caught.
10The migrants were quickly expelled to Mexico under a COVID-established order known as Title 42.
11Before last year, Mexico had generally only been accepting the return of its own citizens along with migrants from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.
12The number of Venezuelans crossing the border fell sharply after Mexico agreed to accept expulsions of Venezuelan migrants last October.
13Before Title 42, migrants had been permitted to arrive at a U.S. port of entry and tell border officials they feared returning to their home country.
14That action would start an asylum process.
15Migrants seeking protection must prove they have been persecuted, or fear they will be, on the basis of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a social group.
16The migrant is required to make an official asylum request to a U.S. asylum officer or in U.S. immigration court.
17Other migrants who arrive on U.S. soil are permitted to ask for asylum, even if they cross the border illegally and turn themselves into border agents.
18But winning a case that way is a long and complex process and can take years to complete.
19Migrants who cannot be expelled under Title 42 are processed under an immigration law known as Title 8.
20Those individuals can be detained or released in the U.S. during consideration of their cases.
21Asylum seekers can seek work permits as long as they attend court hearings and other immigration requirements.
22Last year, the Republican governors of Texas and Arizona bused thousands of migrants from the border to northern cities like New York and Washington, D.C.
23The governors said the action eased pressure in border communities and expressed their opposition to the policies of President Biden and Democratic lawmakers.
24There are a number of ways to enter the U.S. legally as an immigrant.
25These include being sponsored by a U.S. citizen or company, to perform a particular job or to study.
26But getting a visa approved can take a long time and the process is not always available to under-represented communities.
27The Biden administration set a goal in 2022 to resettle 125,000 refugees who registered from abroad after former President Donald Trump sharply reduced admissions during his term.
28But the COVID-pandemic added to existing delays and prevented the U.S. from reaching that goal.
29When Biden took office in 2021, he urged Congress to pass wide-reaching immigration reform.
30Efforts to fix what many believe is a broken immigration system have been a long-standing goal of past administrations.
31But lawmakers have repeatedly failed in recent years to reach an agreement to pass major new policies.
32I'm Bryan Lynn.
1United States border agents made a record number of arrests in the South the past fiscal year, which ended in September. 2In an effort to deal with the situation, U.S. President Joe Biden announced new steps last week. He said border patrol agents would immediately start turning away Cubans, Haitians and Nicaraguans who illegally cross the border from Mexico. 3The new rules expand on an existing effort to stop Venezuelans attempting to enter the U.S. That effort began in October and led to a sharp drop in Venezuelans coming to the southern border. 4"Do not, do not just show up at the border," Biden said last week in his first major speech on border security. At the same time, he said the U.S. would permit up to 30,000 people from Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti and Venezuela to enter the country by air each month. 5Who is trying to enter the U.S. at the border? 6During the past fiscal year, agents arrested more than 2.2 million people at the U.S.-Mexico border. 7But many of those individuals had tried to cross more than once after being caught. The migrants were quickly expelled to Mexico under a COVID-established order known as Title 42. 8Before last year, Mexico had generally only been accepting the return of its own citizens along with migrants from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. The number of Venezuelans crossing the border fell sharply after Mexico agreed to accept expulsions of Venezuelan migrants last October. 9Why are people crossing? 10Before Title 42, migrants had been permitted to arrive at a U.S. port of entry and tell border officials they feared returning to their home country. That action would start an asylum process. 11Migrants seeking protection must prove they have been persecuted, or fear they will be, on the basis of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a social group. The migrant is required to make an official asylum request to a U.S. asylum officer or in U.S. immigration court. 12Other migrants who arrive on U.S. soil are permitted to ask for asylum, even if they cross the border illegally and turn themselves into border agents. But winning a case that way is a long and complex process and can take years to complete. 13What happens to people after they cross? 14Migrants who cannot be expelled under Title 42 are processed under an immigration law known as Title 8. Those individuals can be detained or released in the U.S. during consideration of their cases. 15Asylum seekers can seek work permits as long as they attend court hearings and other immigration requirements. 16Last year, the Republican governors of Texas and Arizona bused thousands of migrants from the border to northern cities like New York and Washington, D.C. The governors said the action eased pressure in border communities and expressed their opposition to the policies of President Biden and Democratic lawmakers. 17What paths to legal immigration are available? 18There are a number of ways to enter the U.S. legally as an immigrant. These include being sponsored by a U.S. citizen or company, to perform a particular job or to study. But getting a visa approved can take a long time and the process is not always available to under-represented communities. 19The Biden administration set a goal in 2022 to resettle 125,000 refugees who registered from abroad after former President Donald Trump sharply reduced admissions during his term. But the COVID-pandemic added to existing delays and prevented the U.S. from reaching that goal. 20When Biden took office in 2021, he urged Congress to pass wide-reaching immigration reform. Efforts to fix what many believe is a broken immigration system have been a long-standing goal of past administrations. But lawmakers have repeatedly failed in recent years to reach an agreement to pass major new policies. 21I'm Bryan Lynn. 22Reuters and The Associated Press reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the reports for VOA Learning English. 23____________________________________________________________________ 24Words in This Story 25fiscal - adj. relating to government money, especially taxes 26persecute - v. oppress or mistreat 27sponsor - v. to take responsibility and give financial support to another person 28___________________________________________________________________ 29What do you think of this story? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 30Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.