Washington, D.C., United States. – The Biden administration has returned to Mexican soil more than 2,400 immigrants from Mexico, Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Haiti since early Friday morning after the end of the pandemic-justified “express expulsion” policy known as Title 42.

Considered historic, the returns of immigrants to Mexican territory from third countries that began in the early hours of Friday, May 11, are under Title 8 of the US Immigration Act and address two types: “repatriation” and “voluntary return.” .

said Blas Núñez Neto, Undersecretary for Border Policy. in the Department of Homeland Security.

Without giving exact details, Núñez Neto nevertheless confirmed to a question from Grupo REFORMA that Mexican immigrants are also included in the figure; As previously confirmed, a large part of the migrants who have returned to Mexico since Friday includes, above all, “voluntary return”.

Unlike “express expulsion” under Title 42 which had no criminal consequences for undocumented persons, Title 8 contemplates a ban on entry to the US for up to 5 years and even imprisonment for re-attempting to cross illegally.

According to what Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said last Friday, the maximum number of migrants returned per day that Mexico promised to receive after a bilateral agreement announced in May is a maximum of 30,000 migrants returned per month (about a thousand per day). .

Under the provisions of Title 8 that previously applied only to Mexicans, the US government could offer “voluntary return” to Mexico to immigrants who were caught crossing the border or while undergoing “return” processes that usually meant longer periods.

In principle, illegal immigrants can claim asylum upon arrival in the United States, but the Biden administration has already begun implementing a new rule that prohibits those who have previously transited through a country where they could have sought such protection from applying for asylum in the United States. previously.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has been challenged in federal court in California, and the law has come under heavy attack from immigrant advocates, but the Biden administration hopes it will deter immigrants from reaching its southern border.

The United States says illegal crossing attempts have decreased in recent days

Also today, management confirmed that irregular transit attempts from Mexico had fallen by half in the past three days compared to levels detected in the three days prior to the conclusion of Title 42 at midnight Thursday but avoided a lyrical triumph.

According to Undersecretary Núñez Neto, the average number of arrests at the border has been less than 5,000 in the past three days (Friday, Saturday and Sunday), which means a sharp decrease given that in the three days prior to the end of Title 42 in force, an average of 10,000 arrests were recorded. .

Previously, the US Department of Homeland Security confirmed in official reports that it had not been ruled out that the daily arrests at the border with Mexico might even reach more than 13,000 per day, which was not achieved, at least for some reason. . now.

In public remarks today, Biden administration officials thanked Mexico for its immigration enforcement operations at the Mexican border but declined to say what they consist of.