Over the past several months, record numbers of Venezuelans have crossed into the United States from Mexico. The Biden administration is turning them away and has quietly resumed a practice utilized by the Trump administration that involves third countries in the expulsion of Venezuelans. Venezuelans who previously resided in Colombia will now be returned there.
This week, CNN noted that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) encountered 24,819 Venezuelans at the border in December 2021, "up from the previous month and continuing an increasing trend." Just over one year ago, "in December 2020, CBP encountered only around 200 Venezuelan migrants." But for these and many other hopeful asylum seekers, it's proving impossible to stay in the U.S.
