During these 12 months, the United States border has seen unprecedented numbers of migrants, causing a migration crisis due to the difficult economic and political situation in Latin America, especially in countries like Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua.
VENEZUELAN EXODUS
Venezuelan migration has been recognized as one of the world's largest displacement and migration crises, surpassing that of Syria, according to the International Organization for Migration.
The number of displaced Venezuelans has exceeded 7.1 million, according to the Inter-Agency Coordination Platform for Refugees and Migrants from Venezuela (RAV).
Cubans in the USA
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), approximately 224,607 Cubans attempted to enter the United States during 2022, a number that surpasses the combined records of the Mariel Boatlift in 1980 and the Balseros Crisis in 1994, the worst migration crises in the history of the Caribbean island to date.
MIGRATION RECORD IN THE DARIEN
According to forecasts from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), an estimated 200,000 irregular travelers will have crossed the Darien Gap border crossing located between Colombia and Panama in 2022.
HISTORICAL MIGRATION IN THE USA
Political and economic crises in the region, coupled with the effects of COVID-19, have influenced the record numbers of migrants arriving in the US.
US border patrols recorded contact with more than 2.7 million migrants in 2022 and 1.6 million in 2021, a dramatic spike compared to previous reports of 405,036 (2020), 859,501 (2019) and 404,142 (2018).
VISAS FOR VENEZUELANS
The U.S. government has implemented a humanitarian visa program for Venezuelans* that will allow 24,000 applicants to enter the country and live and work legally for two years. *This new measure was implemented to reduce the record number of people arriving daily at the U.S. southern border.
RECORD OF NATURALIZATION IN THE USA
Nearly 1 million immigrants became U.S. citizens in 2022, the highest number of naturalizations in the past 15 years, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. *The top five countries of birth for the new citizens were Mexico, India, the Philippines, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic.
TITLE 42 REMAINS
The administration of US President Joe Biden intended to repeal Title 42, a measure that allows for the expulsion of people who cross the border illegally. Although it was officially set to expire on December 21, the Supreme Court issued an order postponing its repeal. The decision on whether the law will remain in effect could still be delayed until February.
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News story created with information from Voice of America
