Venezuelan Migrants Risk Their Lives Making a Journey on Foot
A Concerning Expansion of Title 42
Good afternoon,
Last week, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced new migration enforcement measures for Venezuelan migrants. In a joint agreement with Mexico, the Biden administration aims to
reduce the number of Venezuelans arriving at the southern border by immediately expelling them to Mexico without providing them the opportunity to seek protection under U.S. law. While reducing irregular crossings between ports of entry is a reasonable objective, this new agreement infringes upon the right of Venezuelans to apply for asylum at the border which is enshrined in U.S. immigration laws.
Thousands of Venezuelan migrants fleeing persecution and human rights abuses in Maduro’s regime will now be denied access to asylum and expelled via Title 42, a public health law that allows U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to deny individuals entrance into the United States to "prevent" the spread of communicable disease. The Biden administration’s expansion of this pandemic-era expulsion policy — which it had recently planned to replace with a more sustainable and orderly border approach — is highly concerning. Venezuelans who are already fleeing persecution will be returned to danger in Mexico, where thousands of Title
42 returnees have been victims of kidnappings, tortures, rapes, and violent assaults. Fear and an uncertain future are all they have.
Click on the image to check out a helpful resource on conversation around the border (Source: National
Immigration Forum)
Simultaneously, DHS announced a new humanitarian pathway known as parole which will
allow up to 24,000 Venezuelans to find temporary refuge in the United States if they obtain financial sponsors here. Expanding lawful and orderly pathways to protection from the region is an important step. But the program may be too limited and the barriers to access may be too high for it
to serve as a real alternative for migrants fleeing Venezuela. More than 30,000 Venezuelans arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border in September alone, and most migrants trekking to the border on foot are too poor to afford passports and airfare to the U.S. — requirements of the parole program.
Without fundamental change in border polices, this crisis will only continue to grow. Congress and the Biden administration must act to reform our broken asylum system. Nearly 77% of
American adults want Democrats and Republicans to work together this year to reform our immigration laws to reduce pressure at the border. This country is a beacon of hope for many, and it is time for meaningful immigration reform that would benefit us all while protecting vulnerable migrant families and children seeking our help.
Stay healthy and hopeful,
Oula Alrifai
Assistant Vice President of Field and Constituencies
National Immigration Forum
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