As part of an expedited approach to remove people who came without authority via Mexico, US authorities began deporting some migrant families on flights to Central America on Friday.
Both Republican and Democratic administrations have employed expedited deportations to prevent illegal border crossings, and this comes amid a surge in immigration.
The Department of Homeland Security stated that the families were returned to their native nations of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, but did not specify how many people were brought back.
“The expedited removal procedure is a legal way to safeguard our border, and it is a step toward our larger goal of achieving safe and orderly immigration processing,” the Department of Homeland Security stated in a statement.
Despite projections of a dropoff in hot summer weather, the number of migrants caught illegally crossing the Mexican border by US authorities increased by 4.5 percent in June, officials announced in July.
Throughout the pandemic and after Central America was hammered by a series of catastrophic storms, the southern US border has drawn unprecedented numbers of migrants.
President Joe Biden has been chastised by Republican lawmakers for repealing Trump-era immigration restrictions, such as the “remain in Mexico” policy, which required thousands of asylum seekers from Central America to remain south of the US border while their claims were processed.
After another surge in the number of undocumented Central American families crossing the border, Biden officials revealed intentions to deploy accelerated deportation aircraft on Monday.
Mexico accounted for over one-third of individuals apprehended by US officials in June, followed by three Central American countries: Honduras’ Northern Triangle, Guatemala, and El Salvador. Ecuador and Venezuela provided the majority of South American immigration.
In June, the number of children crossing the border without their parents or guardians, whom the US government offers to resettle in the US rather than return to Mexico, increased by 8% from May, totaling 15,253, or more than 500 youngsters per day.
