MIAMI — U.S. immigration authorities will increase expulsions of Cubans and Nicaraguans arriving at the southern border back to Mexico under Title 42, a public health order that is set to expire on May 23.
The Washington Post and The Associated Press on Wednesday reported a deal reached with Mexico on April 26 to increase the number of expulsions, citing unnamed U.S. and Mexican officials.
A Biden administration official familiar with the matter confirmed the arrangement to the Miami Herald.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said that Title 42, a public health order by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, remains in place “with respect to single adults and family units.”
“Our ability to expel individuals under that authority may be limited for several reasons, including Mexico’s capacity to receive those individuals,” the spokesperson said. “Individuals who are not able to be expelled under the CDC’s Title 42 public health Order are processed through the Department’s Title 8 immigration authorities,” which offer a path to claim asylum.
DHS did not answer specific questions about the recent agreement with Mexico.
Data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows that 737 Cubans have been expelled at the border with Mexico since October under Title 42, a controversial pandemic-era policy that blocks migrants from entering the asylum system. The numbers show that expulsions significantly increased in March, when 517 Cubans were expelled, compared to previous months.
The AP reported that Mexico agreed to take up to 100 Cuban and 20 Nicaraguan migrants daily from three border locations in San Diego, El Paso and Rio Grande Valley, Texas. Migrants from these two countries under authoritarian regimes usually present claims of political prosecution, allowing them to fight for asylum in court.
Under President Andres Manuel López Obrador, Mexico has sought closer ties with Cuba, and the country has a long-standing deportation agreement with Cuban authorities. López Obrador will visit Cuba in the coming days on a tour that begins Thursday in Central America.
The deal, reached despite the administration’s public comments in support of ending the Title 42 policy, reflects the pressure on the Biden administration to manage a surge of migrants at the border. The CDC decided to let the Title 42 order expire on May 23, but the decision faces litigation and pushback, even within Democratic ranks.
Cubans have been leaving the island in large numbers in recent months, driven by a deteriorating economic situation and increased government repression. More than 78,000 Cubans have been apprehended at the border with Mexico since October.
During high-level talks about migration last month, U.S. officials asked Cuba to start taking back Cubans deported from the U.S. According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Cuban authorities stopped taking Cuban nationals back during the current fiscal year despite a 2017 agreement sealed days before President Barack Obama left office.
After a long hiatus, the U.S. Embassy in Havana started processing some immigrant visas in the Cuban capital, but the island’s government officials have said that is not enough to curtail the current exodus, which they blame on U.S. sanctions.
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(McClatchy Washington Bureau reporter Michael Wilner contributed to this report.)
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