US to expel Venezuelan migrants to Mexico as Biden works to secure border

The United States will expel Venezuelan migrants who arrive from the southern border back to Mexico as part of a deal brokered by the neighboring countries.

In return, the US will grant 24,000 Venezuelans humanitarian entry through air travel — if they have a sponsor in the states.

The deal between the US and Mexico was announced by the countries Wednesday as President Joe Biden attempts to assert control of the southern border a month before midterm elections.

The US has seen an influx of Venezuelan migrants crossing the border as political turmoil and economic instability under the leadership of President Nicolas Maduro has rocked the South American country.

More than 150,000 Venezuelan migrants were picked up at the US-Mexico border between October 2021 and August 2022, according to government data. Just under 48,000 Venezuelans were apprehended at the border in the 2021 fiscal year.

It’s unclear how US officials arrived at the number of 24,000 Venezuelan migrants who will be allowed entry via air travel.

Mexico said it will “temporarily” allow some Venezuelans entry to its country through the US border to cope with increased flows, but didn’t cite an exact number.

Mexico previously would not accept Venezuelan border-crossers, though the US has already been expelling hundreds of Venezuelan natives to Mexico before the plan, according to a Mexican official. US statistics show 453 Venezuelan expulsions for August, the most recent data available.

Venezuelans who cross into Mexico, Panama or the US illegally from Wednesday on will not be eligible for the humanitarian entry program, American officials said.

“These actions make clear that there is a lawful and orderly way for Venezuelans to enter the United States, and lawful entry is the only way,” US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement.

“Those who attempt to cross the southern border of the United States illegally will be returned to Mexico and will be ineligible for this process in the future.”

The plan to allow 24,000 Venezuelans humanitarian entry is modeled after the “Uniting for Ukraine” program to give Ukrainians who are fleeing Russian forces access into America.

In that plan and the similar plan for Venezuelan migrants, applicants must secure a sponsor in America and apply from outside the states.

Officials have not provided a timeframe for the admissions of Venezuelans.

The US will also provide an additional 65,000 temporary visas to migrants for non-agricultural jobs, at the request of the Mexican government. Of those visas, 20,000 will be reserved for Central Americans and Haitians.

With Post wires