Asylum-seeking migrant families from Central America wait to be processed by U.S. border guards after crossing the Rio Grande into the United States on July 28, 2021 in Roma, Texas, USA. REUTERS / Go Nakamura
WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 (Reuters) – The United States began flying Central American and Mexican families to southern Mexico on Thursday to prevent migration by strengthening a COVID-era expulsion policy on the US-Mexico border , a person familiar with the matter said.
Nearly 200 Mexican and Central American family members were deported deep into Mexico on Thursday, with flights expected to be regular, the person said. The flights that adults will be participating in are designed to disrupt a pattern of repeated crossings as part of a U.S. border policy known as Title 42.
U.S. President Joe Biden has reversed many of the restrictive immigration policies of his Republican predecessor, former President Donald Trump, but left Title 42 amid 20-year highs on border arrests.
Although health experts, migrant advocates, and some Democrats say policies are cutting off access to asylum without clear health reasons, Biden officials argue the need to prevent U.S. detention centers from becoming overwhelmed during the pandemic.
Under Trump, some Mexican migrants caught on the US-Mexico border were flown to southern Mexico. But the application of the strategy under Biden – and under the Order of Title 42 – is new, according to the person familiar with the matter who requested anonymity to discuss government operations.
The United States will work with non-governmental organizations and shelters in southern Mexico to ensure migrants can safely return to their home countries, the person said.
The Mexican Migration Institute and State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Biden administration also announced last week that it would subject migrant families to an expedited deportation process known as “expedited deportation” from US detention centers to their home countries. Continue reading
The expulsion flights to southern Mexico will be faster than this process, said the person familiar with the situation.
Migrant-friendly groups resumed litigation Monday aimed at preventing the Biden government from evicting families under Title 42, which the government renewed that day. Continue reading
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), one of the groups contesting Title 42, has argued that the policy denies migrants a legal right to asylum and repatriates them in situations of great danger in Mexico.
Lee Learned, the lead ACLU attorney on the case, said the flights to southern Mexico could also cause damage.
“The Biden government appears to be looking for new ways to evict people, exposing these desperate migrants to additional trauma,” he said.
Reporting by Ted Hesson in Washington, Additional reporting by Daina Beth Solomon; Editing by Mica Rosenberg and Gerry Doyle
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