Official figures shared by the US Customs and Border Protection Office (CBP) revealed that almost 7,000 Cubans entered the United States during the month of March, reaching an average of 219 people per day.
However, unlike previous months, 70% of these entries were carried out legally through the state of Florida, where 4,864 people arrived, possibly with the help of the parole humanitarian.
1,264 of these Cubans arrived through the state of Texas, while 323 entered through California, 134 through Arizona and two through New Mexico.
These figures reveal that the number of Cubans entering through the border states decreased compared to previous months, when thousands of West Indians crossed into the US illegally.
For their part, the border authorities that monitor the Florida coast indicated that only 119 Cubans arrived as rafters. The number is less than those registered during February, and almost a tenth of the 1,179 that were registered at the beginning of 2023.
The CBP notes that 13 of the Cubans who entered the country in March were unaccompanied minors, while another 22 were traveling in the custody of a relative.
With 6,817 people, the Greater Antilles ended as the eighth country that sent the most migrants to the United States.
For its part, Mexico took first place with 82,219 people, followed by Colombia, with 17,491; Venezuela, with 15,958; Guatemala, with 15,368; Honduras, with 13,511; India, with 9,648 and Ecuador, with 7,030 people.
New migration plan
Cuban-American senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Committee, Bob Menéndez, recently presented a plan to manage migration and reduce “pressure on the US southwest border.”
According to the media Radio MartiMenéndez’s proposal seeks to secure the border without sacrificing “domestic and legal obligations with asylum seekers.”
The official recognized that for this, a comprehensive approach is required “that recognizes the conditions of each country that promotes migration.”
The proposal focuses on four points, creating new legal pathways for migrants, expanding humanitarian assistance in Latin America, increasing the resources available on the border with Mexico, and increasing efforts to end human and drug trafficking.
“This plan largely includes policies that President Biden can carry out without Congress, until Republicans decide to work with the administration to address the current challenge,” he added.
The official hopes that this new plan will be implemented, since, in his opinion, the immigration policies authorized by the Biden administration at the beginning of the year are “short-term” measures.
