U.S. returning some Venezuelans caught at border to Colombia under COVID order

FILE PHOTO: Migrants seeking asylum in the U.S., mostly from Venezuela, stand near the border fence while waiting to be processed by the U.S. border patrol after crossing the border from Mexico at Yuma, Arizona, U.S., January 23, 2022. REUTERS/Go Nakamura/File Photo

The United States is returning some Venezuelans caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border to Colombia if they previously resided in that country, U.S. officials confirmed on Monday, citing the need to limit the spread of COVID-19.

Two Venezuelan nationals were removed to Colombia on Thursday under a U.S. health order that allows authorities to rapidly expel migrants caught crossing the southern border, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a statement, adding that it plans to continue such returns on a regular basis.