SAN DIEGO (AP) – US authorities said that illegal border crossings by Cubans and Nicaraguans rose sharply in November while overall migration flows were little changed from October.
The snapshot is the latest detailed account of who is crossing the border from Mexico amid preparations to end a Trump-era asylum ban. It marked the third-highest monthly count of Joe Biden’s presidency.
Migrants have been denied a chance to seek asylum under US and international law 2.5 million times since March 2020 under Title 42 aimed to prevent the spread of COVID-19. It was scheduled to end, however, Supreme Court Justice, John Roberts, announced a temporary hold.
Cubans, who are leaving the island nation in their largest numbers in six decades, were stopped 34,675 times at the US border with Mexico in November, up 21 per cent from 28,848 times in October.
Nicaraguans, a large reason why El Paso, Texas, has become the busiest corridor for illegal crossings, were stopped 34,209 times, up 65 per cent from 20,920 in October.
Overall, Customs and Border Protection tallied 233,740 migrant encounters, up one per cent from 231,294 in October.
Mexicans were the largest nationality, followed by Cubans and Nicaraguans.
Ecuadoreans were stopped 11,831 times, up 68 per cent from 7,031 times.
