AP -- US officials: Border crossings soar among Venezuelans

The Associated Pree reports that the number of Venezuelans apprehended at the U.S. border with Mexico soared in August, with fewer migrants from Mexico and some Central American countries.  Summarizing the latest data, the report notes that

"Venezuelans surpassed Guatemalans and Hondurans to become the second-largest nationality after Mexicans among migrants crossing the U.S. border illegally. U.S. authorities stopped Venezuelans 25,349 times in August, up 43% from 17,652 times in July and four times the 6,301 stops recorded in August 2021.

At the same time, it was the third straight month that fewer immigrants from Mexico and Central America’s Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. Those nationalities have dominated the mix for decades.

Overall, U.S. authorities stopped migrants 203,598 times in August, up 1.8% from 199,976 times in July but down 4.7% from 213,593 times in August 2021."

In addition, migration from Cuba and Nicaragua remained high, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data. Cubans were stopped 19,057 times in August, down from 20,096 times in July but up from 4,496 in August 2021. Nicaraguans were stopped 11,742 times, down from 12,075 in July but up from 9,979 in August 2021.

In essence, the nation is seeing rapidly changing migration flows.

The Biden administration has been leaning on other countries in the Americas to absorb more migrants.

Venezuelans have increasingly fled the nation and a number have been transported North by the governors of Florida and Texas.  "About 6.8 million Venezuelans have left their homeland since an economic crisis took hold in earnest in 2014 for the country of 28 million people. Most have gone to nearby nations in Latin America and the Caribbean, including more than 2.4 million who are in neighboring Colombia."

KJ