by EAGLE PASS, Texas — Border Patrol agents have received instructions from Biden administration officials to stop using the CDC Emergency COVID-19 Title 42 authority on Venezuelans apprehended along the border in some of the areas the busiest in Texas. According to a source in Customs and Border Protection, Mexico has notified the Biden administration that it will no longer accept Venezuelan migrants deported under the authority of Title 42 in the Del Rio and Del Rio areas. ‘El Paso. The move is expected to result in the return of large groups of migrants heading to these areas as news of the policy change spreads.
The CBP source, not authorized to speak to the media, told Breitbart Texas that they were informed Thursday that Venezuelans should no longer be returned to Mexico from the two Texas Border Patrol sectors under the program. Effective immediately, Venezuelan nationals entering the United States in the Del Rio and El Paso areas will now be permitted to seek asylum instead of being expeditiously removed under the COVID-19 emergency authority in the absence of future negotiations with Mexico.
The source says the agency will attempt to coordinate the detention of Venezuelan migrants with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) instead of an immediate deportation. The source predicts detention resources will quickly run out, resulting in the immediate release of migrants to the United States pending the processing of their asylum claims.
In October 2022, DHS announced expanded authority to deport Venezuelans under the Title 42 order related to COVID-19. The announcement cited a joint effort between the United States and Mexico to address the growing number of Venezuelan migrants seeking asylum. The program allowed DHS to return Venezuelan migrants to five locations across the southwest border. These areas included San Diego, Tucson, El Paso, Del Rio, and the Rio Grande Valley.
In the announcement, DHS officials listed the following joint efforts to address the Venezuelan migrant issue:
Effective today, Venezuelans who enter the United States between ports of entry, without authorization, will be returned to Mexico. At the same time, the United States and Mexico are stepping up coordinated law enforcement operations to target smuggling organizations and bring them to justice. This campaign will include new migration checkpoints, additional resources and personnel, joint targeting of human smuggling organizations and expanded information sharing related to transit nodes, hotels, hiding places and places of transit. The United States also plans to offer additional security assistance to help regional partners address migration challenges in the Darien Gap.
The source told Breitbart Texas that it appears Mexico is fed up with the deal due to several incidents involving growing frustration among returning migrants from parts of Texas under the expanded Title 42 deal. .
In March, a group of about 1,000 migrants attempted to storm an El Paso port of entry, believing they would be allowed to apply for asylum and remain in the United States. Authorities suspect misinformation spread among migrants by smugglers may have prompted the mass crossing. Later in March, 39 migrants died in a fire at a migrant detention center in Juarez, Mexico, after protesters held at the government-run facility set mattresses on fire.
According to Mexico’s National Institute of Migration, almost a third of the migrants who perished in the fire were Venezuelan nationals. Returning Venezuelan nationals under the enhanced Title 42 authority enforcement will only remain in place at three of the original five locations. These include the San Diego, Tucson and Rio Grande Valley Border Patrol sectors, according to the source.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief of Law Enforcement Operations, directing the operations of nine Border Patrol posts in the Del Rio, Texas area. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.
