On October 12th, 2022, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that they will be taking joint actions with Mexico as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s ongoing efforts to create a fair, orderly, and secure immigration pathway for Venezuelan and other migrants. These actions aim to decrease the number of people arriving at the U.S. Southwest border and improve the order and safety of the process for those fleeing the humanitarian and economic crisis in Venezuela. The initiatives that Mexico and the United States government are taking are meant to address overwhelming migration and lessen the burden on the towns and states that are accommodating migrants.
Effective ever since the announcement on October 12th, Venezuelans who unlawfully enter the United States between ports of entry will be sent back to Mexico. Additionally, in order to identify and prosecute people smuggling networks, the United States and Mexico are simultaneously stepping up their integrated enforcement efforts. These enforcement efforts range from new migratory checks to the introduction of more resources and technology to enforce these evaluations. Together, they will jointly target human smuggling groups and share more information on transit hubs, lodging, stash houses, and staging areas.
The goal of this operation is to lessen the high number of Venezuelans arriving at the border through enhancement of border security to relieve strain. It was inspired by the success of the Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) initiative, which reduced border movements by establishing a systematic admission procedure for Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s invasion of their country. Overall, DHS will keep a careful eye on how this procedure is being carried out as well as Mexico’s separate and concurrent measures. If all proceeds smoothly, in the future, it may be thought to be expanded.
