Over two million people were detained along the United States’ southwestern border between October 1st, 2021 and August 31st, 2022. The fi gure comes from the September 19th report by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). This is the highest number ever recorded for the period.

When the government makes someone leave the country immediately, detainees must go through security checks and wait for the deportation process.

The detainees are illegal immigrants who have attempted to enter the United States without the required documents. They often use strategies to avoid being caught by authorities, such as hiding inside trucks or using small boats. Because it is illegal and uses alternative travel routes, most of the time this is dangerous.

What has led to the increase in detainees at the border?

One of the factors is the Title 42 health law, which was enforced by the Donald Trump administration during his presidency at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. This law makes it possible for illegal immigrants to be quickly expelled, but prevents them from being arrested, as used to be the case. Therefore, some have tried to enter the country several times, which has made numbers go up.

In August, over 55,000 of those detained in the US came from Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba, countries experiencing serious economic crises which have led citizens to move to other countries in search of work and better living conditions. Europe has also been experiencing what is called a “migration crisis”, but on a smaller scale than the US. In June of this year, it was announced that 79,200 people had arrived on the continent via the Mediterranean Sea.

What is the difference between an immigrant and a refugee?

Immigrants leave their country in search of better living conditions, while refugees are forced to move for fear of persecution or because of issues such as conflicts and human rights violations.

Questions

1) How many people were detained at the United States border in 2022?

a) Over 2 million

b) 4 million

c) 1.5 billion

d) More than three million

2) How do you think countries should address illegal immigrants?

Sources: Estadão, Folha de S.Paulo, G1, O Globo, The New York Times and Valor Econômico

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