National

The number of encounters between border officials and migrants attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border fell last month to the lowest levels since last February when the surge began.

By the numbers: While it was the second-lowest monthly number on Biden's watch, the 154,000 migrant encounters last month was still abnormally high for the time of year. There were more border patrol arrests than any other January in over two decades, according to government data.

Fewer migrants from the Northern Triangle — Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador — attempted to cross the border last month, with the number falling below that of January 2019. 

There were also fewer migrants traveling from "other" further away nations — a relatively new, major demographic.

Encounters with Mexican nationals rose slightly over December's numbers, although the vast majority of them were quickly expelled back to Mexico. 

The big picture:  It's unclear yet whether the decline in border numbers will last. 

The government has struggled to respond to massive numbers of people arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border over the past year. It has created both logistical and political nightmares for the president and his administration.

Early on, the government struggled to quickly move minors out of unsuitable border patrol facilities and was forced to quickly built temporary shelters along the border. 

Recently, there have been unprecedented numbers of migrants traveling from further away nations in South America and elsewhere.

Administration officials have attempted to both distance themselves from the harsh immigration rhetoric of the former administration, while also warding off "open border" attacks from the right. 

What to watch: The administration has continued to use a Trump-era policy called Title 42, despite outrage from Democrats and immigration advocates as well as a lawsuit threatening the use of the policy.

Title 42 cites the pandemic as reason for quickly turning back migrants who illegally cross the border without a chance for asylum. 

The policy was used more than 78,000 times last month — also the lowest number since last February. 

Mexicans were kicked back to Mexico 88% of the time under Title 42 last month. Migrants from Guatemala, Honduras or El Salvador were expelled 71% of the time, as opposed to just 5% of migrants from elsewhere.

Migration to U.S.-Mexico border falls to lowest levels since 2021 surge

Migrants from Central America walk exhausted along a country road as they continue the march towards the US border

Migrants from Central America walk exhausted along a country road as they continue the march towards the US border. Photo: Yahir Ceballos/picture alliance via Getty Images

Immigration

President Biden has made the COVID-19 crisis and a post-Trump return to national unity and traditional democratic ideals his top priorities. From vaccinations to stimulus to schools, Biden is seeking bipartisan compromise while showing a willingness to use executive authority and bare Democratic majorities in the U.S. House and Senate to implement his policies. Republican leaders are navigating deep party divisions over if and how to move beyond former President Trump.

Politics & Policy

The dramatic arrest and likely extradition of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández is a stunning fall from grace for a leader once embraced by American authorities desperate to stem migration to the U.S. 

Driving the news: The U.S. government says Hernández led a “violent, state-sponsored drug trafficking conspiracy” with co-opted armed forces, police, Congress members and mayors. 

Unlike other Latin American countries where criminal groups and cartels work with some corrupt officials, U.S. prosecutors suggest the outgoing Honduran government itself became a cartel, a “narco-state.”

The big picture: Violence and corruption, along with poverty, are the root causes of Central American migration to the U.S. The American government’s move to charge Hernández comes after it embraced him while trying to stymie huge numbers of migrants coming to the U.S.-Mexico border. 

The case against Hernández also highlights the challenges facing the incoming Honduran government of Xiomara Castro, which has promised to end corruption, and the Biden administration’s ongoing attempts to stop the heavy migration flows from the region. 

The situation also shows the tricky balance Washington keeps in its relations with the Northern Triangle countries of Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala, working with and giving funds to local governments suspected of corruption when looking to stem migration and promote cooperation.

Top U.S. officials, including a DEA director and Joe Biden when he was vice president, met with Hernández for discussions related to migration and security cooperation while the criminal investigations against him were ongoing.

The Department of Homeland Security even called the Hernández government  “a valued and proven partner” in 2020.

Flashback: Several Hondurans have been extradited for similar charges, including two major drug kingpins that testified Hernández received bribes from them or gave them instructions for money laundering.

Tony Hernández, a former congress member and brother of Juan Orlando Hernández, was sentenced to life in prison on drug charges last year.

The ex-president's predecessor, Porfirio Lobo, is also linked to drug-trafficking groups and is on a U.S. list of corrupt past and present officials.

Other Central American figures who have faced corruption charges include former Guatemalan president Otto Pérez Molina, whose trial on fraud charges in his country started last month. Former El Salvador president Antonio Saca recently recently confessed that he and a myriad of legislators and judges participated in an embezzlement scheme.

What's next: A Honduran judge who belongs to Hernández’ National Party will decide whether the former president will be extradited. The decision could take months. 

What an ex-president's arrest says about U.S.-Latin America relations

The U.S. government says Hernández led a “violent, state-sponsored drug trafficking conspiracy.”

Former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez sits, his ankles cuffed, surrounded by police in bulltproof vests and masks

Juan Orlando Hernández (sitting) after his arres on Monday. Credit: STR/AFP via Getty Images

Central America

The planned use of robot dogs along the U.S.-Mexico border is already facing skepticism from members of both political parties.

Driving the news: U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas), who represents a border district where robot dogs could be dispatched, told Axios the technology is "ghoulish" and a waste. 

Details: A research and development arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security recently announced it has been working with the Philadelphia-based company Ghost Robotics to develop a robot dog for the border.

The dogs can transmit real-time video and other data back to human operators while climbing over sand, rocks and hills.

Ghost Robotics CEO Jiren Parikh told Axios the robot dogs have special sensors and can carry equipment to identify drugs, nuclear materials and chemical weapons.

In a statement to Axios, the Department of Homeland Security said this project is still in the research and development phase and there is currently no timetable to deploy the robots. 

The agency said the robots are not designed or being tested to engage with migrants.

What they're saying: “Militarizing our border is wasteful and evidence of our country's long-standing failure to address migration in a strategic, intelligent way," Escobar told Axios.

"The new ‘border robot dogs’ are a ghoulish repudiation of America's values, and are potentially very dangerous, presenting a significant liability for the American taxpayer."

Instead, Escobar said the U.S. government should be focusing on the root causes of migration in the Western Hemisphere. 

U.S. Rep. Yvette Herrell (R-N.M.), who represents a border district next to Escobar's, said she supports more technology along the border but doesn't know if robot dogs are the answer.

“Our broken southern border does need technological enhancements, but so-called 'robot dogs' are an impractical distraction that won’t make a lick of difference unless the Biden administration and DHS start enforcing our immigration laws," Herrell told Axios.

Flashback: The New York Police Department last year terminated its contract for a robotic dog with company Boston Dynamics after residents complained.

Its presence at a hostage situation at a public housing building in Manhattan caused a fierce backlash among residents and politicians who saw it as alienating and a waste of taxpayer money.

Digidog, agile enough to climb stairs, was never armed but came when the nation was locked in nationwide protests against police following the death of George Floyd.

Be smart: Robot dogs have been a source of fascination (and fear) since videos of prototypes appeared online and one such robot garnered excitement at a 2017 TED talk.

A video of one robot dog by tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee known as MKBHD was viewed more than six million times.

Subscribe to Axios Latino and get more news that matters about Latinos and Latin America, delivered right to your inbox on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Lawmakers question plans to use robot dogs on U.S.-Mexico border

“Militarizing our border is wasteful and evidence."

The robot dog overlooking the U.S.-Mexico border in the desert.

The robot dog. Photo: Courtesy of Ghost Robotics. 

Customs and Border Patrol

From the Valley to D.C., Big Tech players like Facebook, Google and Amazon are under more scrutiny than ever as new technology develops and privacy and antitrust concerns grow in lockstep with companies’ ambitions.

Technology

Southwest U.S. Border Patrol apprehensions, by migrant country of origin

Data: U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Note: "Northern Triangle" refers to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador; Chart: Kavya Beheraj/Axios 

Migrants from South American countries, Cuba and Haiti — as well as more distant nations like Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and India — drove an uptick in traffic at the U.S.-Mexico border last month.

Why it matters: For years, most migrants attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border have come from Mexico or the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. But last month, they were outnumbered by those making an even longer and more complicated trek to the United States.

By the numbers: The migrants making their way to the border included more than 2,000 Russians and 300 Ukrainians. Most arrived or were discovered at a legal port of entry in San Diego, California, according to the data.

In mid-December, 18 Russian migrants were discovered in two vehicles that collided after a Border officer fired his gun to stop them from speeding through an inspection station at the San Diego port of entry, according to a release from Customs and Border Protection.

The group included 11 adults and seven children. Two people were injured in the collision, and the use of force is being investigated.

A third car also crossed the same port of entry that night with eight other Russian citizens who lacked the proper documents to enter the U.S.

More than 800 people from India also illegally crossed the U.S.-Mexico border into Yuma, Arizona, in December.

And for the second month in a row, more than 500 migrants from Turkey crossed into El Paso, Texas.

What they're saying: The changes in demographics "speaks more to smuggler tactics than anything else," a CBP official told Axios. "They're running an illicit business and part of any business is growing your customer base."

The official emphasized it's not the first time an unusual nationality group has come to the southwest border.

More than 1,000 Romanians attempted to cross last May.

More broadly, Border Patrol agents arrested close to 53,000 migrants from Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Venezuela in December.

That's more than those from the Northern Triangle, where the Biden administration has focused its efforts to address the "root causes" of migration.

It's also a more than 10-fold increase from the fewer than 5,000 migrants arrested from these nations in December 2020, according to Department of Homeland Security data.

After a brief but dramatic decline, migration by Cubans and Haitians has been rising again. The 15,000 apprehended in December was short of the number in September, after an earthquake and presidential assassination fueled a makeshift Haitian migrant camp that captured national attention.

That said, it was more than any other month going back to at least October 2019.

What to watch: Mexico implemented new visa requirements last week for  Venezuelan travelers passing through the country. Venezuelans were the second biggest group at the border — behind Mexicans — last month. 

The Biden administration hopes the new rules will slow the number of people arriving at the border, a second DHS official told Axios.

U.S. border draws migrants from Russia, Ukraine

The changes in demographics "speaks more to smuggler tactics than anything else," a CBP official told Axios.

China is becoming the most formidable rival America has faced, and the risk of confrontation with Russia, North Korea or Iran still looms. Authoritarians are rising, the chaotic Afghanistan exit revealed the limits of U.S. power, and the pandemic, climate change and other critical challenges continue to pose grave threats.

World

Xiomara Castro was sworn in Thursday as the first female president of Honduras in a ceremony attended by world leaders including Vice President Harris.

The big picture: Castro, a leftist, has promised to tackle drug trafficking and ease the country's strict abortion ban. Her election ends the right-wing National Party's 12-year run, which was dogged by claims of corruption.

"My government will not continue the maelstrom of looting that has condemned generations of young people to pay the debt they incurred behind their back," Castro said in her inaugural address, per Reuters.

Why it matters: Honduras is a key focus for the Biden administration, which has vowed to address the root causes driving migration to the U.S. border.

"In Castro, the first woman to lead Honduras, the administration believes America has found an ally who will help stem corruption in a region rife with government abuse and unethical excess," the Washington Post writes. 

Ending political corruption will be key to bettering Hondurans' lives and convincing them to stay in their country instead of risking danger to reach the U.S., advisers to Harris told WashPost.

Xiomara Castro becomes Honduras' first female president

Castro, a leftist, has promised to tackle drug trafficking and ease the country's strict abortion ban.

Photo of a masked Kamala Harris and Xiomara Castro walking in a hall while speaking, with aides trailing behind them

Honduran President Xiomara Castro and Vice President Kamala Harris walk through the presidential palace in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, on Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022. Photo: Erin Schaff/The New York Times via AP, Pool

Honduras

President Biden's advisers are crafting a plan to accelerate bringing potentially thousands of Afghans to the U.S. from Qatar, according to a source with direct knowledge of the administration's internal deliberations on the subject.

Why it matters: As U.S. military leaders plan for a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, the administration is still struggling to handle the aftereffects of its chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal. One challenge: how to care for tens of thousands of displaced Afghans — many of whom helped the U.S. fight its longest war.

The president's senior national security and foreign policy officials are discussing an expedited refugee process.

It would allow Afghans to be screened, vetted, approved for refugee status and placed on planes to the United States within 30 days of their arrival at the military site in Qatar being used to house them.

It usually takes two to five years for refugee applicants to be resettled in the U.S.

Between the lines: The Department of Homeland Security, State Department and White House are considering a streamlined process.

The administration is nearing a mid-February deadline for moving thousands of Afghan refugees in the U.S. off military bases and into their new communities.

So far, the administration has relied on the use of humanitarian parole to rapidly resettle tens of thousands of Afghans.

That mechanism only provides protection from deportation and the ability to work for two years. Afghans already in the U.S. then will have to go through the lengthy special immigrant visa (SIV), asylum or green-card processes to attain permanent legal status.

Using an expedited U.S. Refugee Admissions Program process in Qatar, though, would immediately put Afghans on a pathway to green cards.

The big picture: Biden officials involved in the discussions have said they're confident the full refugee vetting process can be done in 30 days. Individual cases already are expedited in similar ways.

The Biden team has studied the fast-track processes implemented under President Obama during the 2016 Syrian refugee crisis as an example, according to the source.

During those efforts, 10,000 refugees were processed in under 12 weeks.

In addition to the 30-day process, the administration also is looking into 90-day and 120-day processes as ways to update and innovate the U.S.'s refugee process overall — not just for Afghans, a White House official told Axios.

What they're saying: The administration has been working to rebuild the U.S. refugee program, a National Security Council spokesperson told Axios. 

 “There is more work to do, which is why we are exploring a variety of innovations to streamline the resettlement process and eliminate redundancies, while maintaining the robust health and screening and vetting processes,” the official said.

There would still be significant obstacles to speeding up the process, including the ongoing threat from COVID-19, which is complicating travel and in-person interviews.

The Biden administration also is trying to resolve issues with a refugee resettlement operation that withered under a slowdown enacted by President Trump.

In addition, the U.S. housing shortage has restricted the availability of new, affordable homes for Afghan families — a major hurdle for refugee agencies.

Some Afghans also may not pass the screening process for refugee status, which would add more time.

Officials are then forced to determine whether they are eligible to come to the U.S. through other avenues — or must be sent to a different country, according to the source.

By the numbers: More than 76,000 Afghans have been brought to the U.S. through Operation Allies Welcome, according to DHS. An additional 2,500 are waiting at transit locations overseas.

Roughly 10,000 of those already in the U.S. are waiting at military sites, while the rest have been resettled in their new communities. 

Overall, the government is aiming to ramp up its evacuations to 2,000 Afghans per month.

Half of them would be SIV holders or applicants rather than refugee applicants, a White House official confirmed.

What to watch: Refugee organizations and advocates have called on Congress to pass an Afghan Adjustment Act.

It would provide quicker pathways to permanent status for Afghans already in the U.S.

Scoop: White House plans expedited resettlement for Afghan refugees

The government continues to grapple with the fallout of America's longest war.

Afghan refugees are seen walking through a processing center in Qatar.

Afghan Special Immigrant Visa holders enter a processing center at Camp As Sayliyah, Qatar, last August. Photo: Sgt. Jimmie Baker/U.S. Army via Getty Images

Afghanistan withdrawal

Biden administration to provide more legal help to migrants

The DOJ will launch a new program in seven border cities to help migrants navigate the often complex legal process.

Immigrant men are taken into custody by U.S. Border Patrol agents at the U.S.-Mexico border in Yuma, Arizona. 

Migrant men are taken into custody by Border Patrol agents in Yuma, Ariz. Photo: John Moore/Getty Images

Quarterly increase in immigration backlog

The number of people waiting for immigration court decisions is greater than the population of Philadelphia — and is building, according to new data and analysis from Syracuse University's Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC).

Why it matters: The booming backlog points to a broken immigration system and often leaves immigrants awaiting decisions on asylum or other cases in legal limbo for longer periods of time.

Court closures caused by the pandemic have played a role in slowing judges' ability to complete cases.

But the number of new cases being added by the Department of Homeland Security has also risen during the Biden administration, according to TRAC.

By the numbers: Cases in the backlog include asylum seekers hoping to be granted permanent refuge in the U.S., immigrants arrested by ICE who are fighting to avoid deportation and other denied applicants for immigration benefits.

The backlog grew by 139,000 pending immigration court cases between October and December 2021 — the largest quarterly growth on record, according to TRAC.

It brings the total number of pending cases to nearly 1.6 million as of the end of December.

Asylum seekers now wait on average 58 months — almost 5 years — for a hearing.

What to watch: The immigration court system is overseen by the Justice Department.

The House Judiciary Committee's subcommittee on immigration and citizenship held a hearing Thursday afternoon to discuss making the immigration court system independent.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) also plans to propose a bill to revise the court system, according to reporting by Roll Call.

The immigration court backlog is growing

The booming backlog points to a broken immigration system.

The White House is considering requiring migrants aged 5 and older to receive a coronavirus vaccination as a condition for crossing the U.S.-Mexico border to await court hearings, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The Biden administration has been offering the COVID-19 vaccine to people in immigration detention centers or shelters but hasn't yet offered it to other migrants who've crossed the border — much less required it.

The new push comes as all other foreigners legally traveling to the U.S. have to provide proof of vaccination.

The same rule applies to Americans returning home from overseas travel.

By the numbers: Under the proposal, the government would have provided vaccines to 86,000 migrants in November who were sent to ICE detention, provided tracking devices or otherwise released into the U.S. using the regulation called Title 8, according to the latest Department of Homeland Security data.

Another 87,000 encounters with migrants in November resulted in them being sent back to Mexico or elsewhere under Title 42.

That Trump-era restriction allows the U.S. to limit entry based on the public health concerns generated by the pandemic.

Those would-be migrants would not have been impacted by the policy being considered.

The big picture: ICE has been dealing with a recent surge in COVID cases. There are 2,000 detained immigrants currently infected, according to agency data.

Roughly 1 in 3 immigrants in ICE detention have been refusing the vaccine, according to Axios' and others' reporting.

What they're saying: “Since the beginning of the administration, we have put in place public health protocols that prioritize the health of border communities, agents and migrants," a White House spokesperson told Axios.

The administration is "always evaluating" those protocols, including the use of vaccines, "but no final determinations have been made," the official added.

Both DHS and the Department of Health and Human Services referred Axios to the White House. 

If the proposal is green-lighted, contractors would begin providing vaccines to migrants attempting to cross the border illegally — or through legal ports of entry — before they're allowed into the U.S.

The use of ankle bracelets and traceable cellphones in place of detention has boomed under the Biden administration, especially for families awaiting court hearings. The proposal would provide vaccines for this population.

Contractors are lined up and could be deployed within 48 hours once given the go-ahead by the White House and agencies responsible for the funding, a senior DHS official told Axios.

A decision is expected as soon as this week.

The details: The proposal originated with DHS and is being considered by President Biden. It also would require migrants to receive a second dose of the vaccine as a condition for parole — the legal mechanism allowing them to live and work in the U.S., even without legal status, ahead of court hearings.

The agency is looking into ways to enforce compliance, according to an internal, inter-agency document obtained by Axios.

The exact details of a final program remain in flux.

Go deeper: On Wednesday morning, the administration defended its use of  Title 42 to turn back migrants who illegally cross the border, without a chance at asylum.

DOJ and the White House do not believe expanded vaccination at the border would substantially increase the risk of legal action against Title 42, according to the document.

Scoop: White House eyes vaccine mandate for migrants

The requirement would come as foreigners and U.S. citizens must be vaccinated to travel into the U.S.

A migrant receives a vaccine dose in Mexico before continuing their journey to the U.S. border

A migrant receives a COVID-19 vaccination in Mexico before continuing to the U.S. border. Photo: Luis Barron/Eyepix Group/Future Publishing via Getty Images

Illegal immigration

Joe Biden

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday proposed a plan to expand health care coverage to cover all low-income, undocumented Californians.

Why it matters: The proposal is part of the Democratic governor's $213 billion budget request for the 2022-23 fiscal year. If approved by the state legislature, it would begin no sooner than Jan. 1, 2024.

State of play: Currently, undocumented people under 26 are eligible for Medi-Cal. Those older than 50 will become eligible after May 1.

Driving the news: Newsom is asking the legislature to allocate $819.3 million in 2023-24 and $2.7 billion annually to Medi-Cal expansion so all income-eligible adults aged 26 through 49 are covered regardless of their immigration status.

Under this rollout, Medi-Cal would be available to all income-eligible Californias "no sooner than" Jan. 1, 2024.

What he's saying: "As California’s robust recovery continues, we’re doubling down on our work to ensure all our communities can thrive," Gavin said in a statement announcing his budget blueprint.

Newsom proposes health care coverage for undocumented Californians

If approved by the state legislature, it would begin no sooner than Jan. 1, 2024.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom takes questions from the media during a press conference at the Native American Health Center in Oakland, Calif., on Dec. 22, 2021. Photo: Jane Tyska/Digital First Media/East Bay Times via Getty Images

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