Cuban migration to the U.S. surged last year. Here’s a look at the numbers
Migration from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela has increased following a lull after the implementation of Title 42, a health policy used to expel migrants implemented during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to data from U.S. Customs and Border Patrol.
Since then, total numbers of migrants coming each from these countries every month have fluctuated, often seasonally or following political events or policy changes specific to migrants from a particular country of origin.
Data show migration from Cuba increased the most since the beginning of 2022.
The Biden administration announced on Thursday that it will dramatically step up the expulsion of Cubans, Haitians and Nicaraguans who cross illegally at the U.S.-Mexico border.
It also unveiled a new program to allow as many as 30,000 migrants a month from those countries to live and work in the U.S.
READ MORE: New program for Cuban, Haitian and Nicaraguan migrants is complex. What you need to know
To apply, the migrants from those four countries will need to go online to book an appointment.
Critics have heavily criticized the administration’s new border policies, calling them “a wealth test” that ignores the United States’ obligation to protect vulnerable people who are fleeing persecution and now requiring refugees to get a smartphone and data plan.
This story was originally published January 7, 2023 at 3:37 PM.
