Listen to this article2023-01-25T21:21:43Z
Asylum-seeking migrants cross the Rio Bravo river, the border between the United States and Mexico, to request asylum in El Paso, Texas, U.S., as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico January 2, 2023. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez/File Photo
The number of migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border dropped 97% from December to January following new restrictions by U.S. President Joe Biden that expel them back to Mexico.
U.S. authorities encountered an average of just 115 migrants from those countries over a weeklong period ending on Jan. 24, down from an average 3,367 on Dec. 11, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on Wednesday.
The department attributed the decrease to the restrictions and new legal pathways opened for migrants with U.S. sponsors who enter by air.
