VOA Immigration Weekly Recap, April 9–15
Growing Number of Migrants from China Arriving at US-Mexico Border
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 4,366 migrants from China encountered Border Patrol officials after crossing the southern border without authorization from October 2022 to February 2023. That compares with the 421 migrants who were encountered during the same period in 2021 and 2022. VOA Mandarin Service’s Tracy Wen Liu and VOA’s immigration reporter Aline Barros have the story.
UN Warns of Spike in Migrants Crossing the Darien Gap
Two United Nations agencies said Thursday that more than 100,000 migrants have made the treacherous journey through the Darien Gap between Panama and Colombia this year trying to reach the United States. The U.N. refugee agency and the International Organization for Migration said in a joint statement that the spike in numbers is a “worrying increase.” VOA News reports.
US, Panama and Colombia Aim to Stop Darien Gap Migration
The United States, Panama and Colombia announced Tuesday that they will launch a 60-day campaign aimed at halting illegal migration through the treacherous Darien Gap, where the flow of migrants has multiplied this year. Details on how the governments will try to curb the flow of migrants that reached nearly 90,000 in just the first three months of this year through the dense, lawless jungle were not provided in the joint statement. The Associated Press reports.
US to Test Faster Asylum Screenings for Migrants Crossing Border Illegally
The Biden administration this week was to begin testing faster asylum screenings for migrants caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally, the Department of Homeland Security said on April 8, part of preparations for the end of COVID-19 border restrictions in May. Reuters reports.
Head of Mexico’s Immigration Agency Under Criminal Investigation
The office of Mexico’s attorney general says it has launched a criminal investigation into the head of the country’s immigration agency in connection with last month’s deadly fire at an immigrant detention facility. A statement released late Tuesday night said National Immigration Institute chief Francisco Garduno failed to take steps to prevent the fire at the agency’s facility in the city of Ciudad Juarez that killed 40 migrants on March 27. VOA News reports.
US, Cuba to Hold Fresh Round of Migration Talks This Week
The United States and Cuba will hold another round of migration talks Wednesday, officials said, as the Biden administration braces for the end of COVID-era border restrictions that have blocked Cubans in recent months from crossing into the U.S. from Mexico. Reuters reports.
Biden Seeks Expanded Health Insurance Access for DACA Participants
The Biden administration is seeking to allow immigrants illegally brought to the United States as children greater access to health insurance through federal programs, the White House said on Thursday. The proposal would allow participants in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program to access health insurance under Medicaid and Affordable Care Act exchanges, it said. Reuters reports.
VOA Day in Photos
Migrants are identified by Italian authorities as they disembark from a ship in the Sicilian port of Catania.
Immigration around the world
First Quarter Was Deadly for Migrants in Mediterranean, UN Says
The first three months of 2023 were the deadliest first quarter in six years for migrants crossing the central Mediterranean Sea in smugglers' boats, the U.N. migration agency reported Wednesday, citing delays by nations in initiating rescues as a contributing factor. The Associated Press reports.
VOA60 Africa - Tunisia: Police destroy makeshift migrant camp outside U.N. human rights office
Asylum-seekers sift through the remains of a makeshift camp outside the U.N. human rights office in Tunis after police destroyed it Tuesday. Sub-Saharan migrants have been targeted since February, when President Kais Saied blamed them for the nation’s crimes.
VOA60 Africa - Mediterranean: Boat with 400 migrants in distress
German humanitarian organization Sea-Watch said its reconnaissance aircraft, Sea Bird 2, on Sunday filmed a boat in distress in the central Mediterranean with hundreds of people on board and the group has seen at least 19 boats in distress in recent days.
News Brief
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services updates its policy on how to handle documents for “persons eligible for and recipients of victim-based immigration relief, specifically Violence Against Women Act self-petitioners as well as those who are seeking or currently hold T or U nonimmigrant status (protected persons).”