On Thursday (01/05), Joe Biden announced new measures to suppress the entry of immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela, seeking to enter illegally through the U.S. border with Mexico. During a speech, the U.S. president called for people from these regions not to try to cross the desert, noting that in addition to the risks of the crossing, U.S. authorities will begin refusing asylum applications.
“Historically, any foreign citizen who manages to enter the U.S. can apply for asylum. However, on average, only 30% of the requests are approved. In addition, it is estimated that there are nearly 2 million asylum applications awaiting trial in U.S. federal courts,” said Marcelo Gondim, an immigration lawyer in the United States.
As a way to encourage legal immigration for citizens of these four countries, Biden announced that, in partnership with the Government of Mexico, the U.S. will accept 30,000 Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan and Venezuelan immigrants per month for the next two years, and offer them the possibility to work legally as long as they have entered in a documented manner, have fixed job offers (sponsor) and prove good criminal records.
“The U.S. government is going through the biggest immigration crisis in its history, with about 2.4 million border detentions over the past two years. To make it worse, Democrats and Republicans cannot come up with a common denominator for comprehensive immigration reform. There is still much to be done to solve one of the biggest problems in the U.S., which is the immigration system,” – noted Marcelo Gondim, the founder of the gondim Law corp in Los Angeles.
Joe Biden’s announcement comes the same week that the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Agency (USCIS) announced that it would soon increase the rates for those who want to apply for immigration benefits, such as visa and green card proceedings based on a job offer, career or investment in the country. According to the USCIS, the rate price review will make the U.S. immigration system more agile and efficient.
About the specialist: Marcelo Gondim
Marcelo Gondim is an immigration lawyer in the United States with more than 20 years of experience in green card and U.S. visa processes. He is licensed by the State of California. Marcelo was born in Brazil but also held American citizenship. He is the founder and principal attorney of Gondim Law Corp., an immigration law firm based in Los Angeles.