A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official, requesting anonymity, said: “After discussions with the Government of Colombia, in March 2022, DHS began deporting Colombian citizens back to Colombia pursuant to a Title 42 Public Health Order.” done.”
On March 3, US President Joe Biden received his Colombian counterpart Ivan Duque at the White House, with whom he discussed migration, among other issues.
Title 42 was imposed by former Republican President Donald Trump and allows undocumented immigrants to be expelled on the grounds that they may be carriers of COVID-19.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the number of COVID-19 cases in the United States has averaged 27,000 per day over the past few days, compared to a peak of 700,000 in mid-January. The shortfall has prompted several organizations and lawmakers to ask Biden to suspend the application of the rule.
DHS continues to apply Title 42 “to single adults and family units located on the southwest border,” the source said.
A United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official specified that flights to Colombia resumed on 4 March and that “hundreds of Colombians” were expelled under Title 42.
“All passengers must undergo a medical examination before boarding”, must wear a mask, test negative for Covid-19, have a temperature below 37.2 C and not show symptoms related to coronavirus in order to travel should, this source told AFP, who requested anonymity.
Previously, the United States had already agreed with Colombia to expel Venezuelan immigrants living in that country and detained for illegally entering US territory on the border with Mexico.
In February, US immigration officials stopped 164,973 people crossing the US-Mexico land border, according to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
