Mexicans in the majority, followed by Ecuadorians and Colombians, were the national groups with the most irregular migrants arriving at the U.S. border in May, according to a CBP report reviewed here. The total number was close to 118,000 migrants, 9% less than in April, with four out of ten of them coming from the Aztec nation. In their case, the immediate vicinity weighs heavily in this trend, while the impact of violence and economic stress crosses all three countries. According to CBP, since the presidential proclamation that introduced certain changes to the asylum process, there has been a 25% reduction in the number of migrants encountered at the border, who now are also hit by a deadly heat wave that has left two dead—of Salvadoran and Mexican origin—recently in the desert environs of Ciudad Juarez.
The lying body of a Honduran migrant who did not make it to the American "Canaan" on May 17, 2024 (source).In any case, thousands of people are on their way to the promised land, given that almost at the end of the first semester some 187,000 people have crossed the dangerous Darién Gap, mostly Venezuelans, followed again by Ecuadorians and Colombians. Once in México, statistics suggest that most Venezuelans wait long enough to schedule an appointment through the CBP One™ application, which offers a limited number of daily slots for migrants to present themselves in a planned manner at an official port of entry. The same seems true for Cubans, who also have unique immigration benefits that allow them to take sound advantage of the channels opened by the Biden administration.
In May, 44,500 individuals entered the United States through a CBP One-based appointment, which swells a statistic that since 2023 speaks of 636,600 people processed through this certainly less costly mechanism for migrants in all senses. In addition to Venezuelans and Cubans, Haitian, Mexican, and Honduran migrants have been the most benefited by this legal process, although those of the first three nationalities also "profit"—together with Nicaraguans—from a humanitarian parole program through which some 177,000 Haitians, 106,000 Venezuelans, 98,000 Cubans, and 80,000 Nicaraguans have already entered U.S. soil.
Fact-based (but anyway biased) narratives
Migration will be a key issue for the U.S. elections, with virulent narratives—emerging primarily from the Grand Old Party—manipulating the image of the migrant, who generally enters America to better himself/herself and contribute to the whole economy. But facts are feeding this discussion like the recent strangulation murder of a 12-year-old girl in Houston—whether sexual assault was involved has not been confirmed—allegedly at the hands of two Venezuelan migrants, apprehended and then released by immigration authorities last March. However, available data don't suggest that migrants are more likely to commit criminal acts than native-born Americans.
The quick regional roundup
Cuba will join as "Third State" the complaint filed by South Africa against Israel at the International Court of Justice, the Cuban Foreign Minister announced. With this diplomatic move, the Island will defend "its interpretation of the norms of the Convention that Israel has flagrantly violated with its actions in the illegally occupied Palestinian territory of the Gaza Strip", declared the head of Cuban diplomacy.
More than US$50 million are allocated in Ecuador for constructing a maximum-security prison in the province of Santa Elena, which, according to the Executive, will have state-of-the-art infrastructure with artificial intelligence solutions included. The module will have capacity for 800 inmates "with a high danger profile or who present a high risk of escape". They will be monitored in real time surrounded by six surveillance towers of nine and a half meters high and a wall of similar dimensions. "[Anyone] who seeks to commit a crime should think twice," said President Daniel Noboa.
President Daniel Noboa yesterday Friday in the place where the facility started to be built (source).){kind=link}
And this is all for our report today. I have referenced the sources dynamically in the text, and remember you can learn how and where to follow the LATAM trail news by reading my work here. Have a nice day.
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