The Biden administration has decided to impose visa restrictions on individuals overseeing charter flights from Cuba and Haiti to Nicaragua who ease the transportation of irregular migrants.
In a statement issued on November 21, the administration noted that a disturbing pattern has emerged, with charter flight businesses offering high-speed rides, directing migrants on dangerous land routes that lead north to the United States border, VisaGuide.World reports.
A significant number of these migrants lack legal grounds to enter or remain in the US, often resulting in their repatriation, expending personal resources, and jeopardizing the safety of themselves and their families.
As part of our comprehensive approach to addressing irregular migration, the US government is taking steps to impose visa restrictions under INA 212 (a)(3)(C) against owners, executives, and senior officials of companies providing charter flights into Nicaragua designed for use primarily by irregular migrants to the United States.
These charter flights and their organizers specifically target migrants, exposing them to dangerous situations. The US is also cooperating with the private sector to eradicate this exploitative practice.
Under this administration, there has been a significant increase in the creation of legal trails – a historic expansion not seen in decades. In addition, it is determined that consequences, such as repatriation to their home country, must be applied to individuals who choose not to use these legal channels to enter the US and do not have a legal basis for continued residence.
StateDept’s new visa restriction policy targets those facilitating charter flights into Nicaragua that exploit migrants hoping to cross the U.S. border. This is one of several ongoing actions to end this abusive practice & and protect migrants.
Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Brian A. NicholsTop of Form
Earlier this month, following reports from the Miami Herald and other sources highlighting the escalating migration program, Nichols issued a warning, noting that there would be repercussions for those implicated in the charter flights.
Nicaragua has historically served as a gateway for Cubans en route to the US. The Venezuelan state airline Conviasa has entered the scene by providing charter flights from Havana to Managua, facilitating migrants’ journey to the US-Mexico border.
In recent months, the influx of migrants has broadened to include tens of thousands of Haitians, especially after Ortega waived visa requirements for individuals from the crisis-stricken country. Haitian migrants paid up to $4,000 per person and boarded flights from international airports in Haiti and those in the Dominican Republic and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Moreover, the US has observed that almost 300,000 individuals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela have legally entered the country through a recently implemented humanitarian parole program.
However, the broader hemisphere continues to grapple with a significant surge of asylum seekers attempting to reach the border. Despite concerted efforts by the Biden administration and other regional governments to discourage such migration, the influx continues.