This will be the program to accommodate 30,000 immigrants every month in the US at 2:20 am
(CNN) — Daily arrests of migrants along the US-Mexico border fell by more than half in January compared to last month, a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official told CNN, citing the extension of a Covid restriction imposed by Trump era and the recently launched legal immigration programs in the United States.
Over the past month, border officials have faced a spike in border crossings, averaging about 7,000 daily ahead of the early end of Title 42, the public health legislation in place since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Supreme Court temporarily stayed the end of Title 42, leaving it in effect for the time being.
Earlier this month, the Biden administration expanded a humanitarian program to include a legal route for Haitians, Venezuelans, Nicaraguans and Cubans to enter the United States instead of crossing the border. The government has also admitted these nationalities to Title 42, meaning authorities can now turn them away if they don’t apply to the scheme.
Officials cited the Title 42 program and expansion as a reason for the drop in daily encounters this month.