On the border with the United States, immigrants from at least 115 countries were detained in 2021 and, since then, it is not only impressive the number of people trying to cross, but also the almost absence of Mexicans in stretches of the border where they were commonly found.

“Instead, families from Venezuela, Colombia, Haiti, Cuba, Brazil, India and dozens of other countries arrive in Yuma after wading through the knee-deep Colorado River. Their presence reflects how a pandemic-era rule still shapes the journeys of many migrants, even though much of the U.S. has moved on from COVID-19”, according to Associated Press (AP).

“The demographic changing marks a dramatic shift away from the recent past, when migrants were predominantly from Mexico and Central America’s Northern Triangle countries — Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. That’s especially clear at some of the busiest crossings, like Yuma and Eagle Pass, Texas, near where several people died in recent days while trying to cross the Rio Grande”.

Migrants who are not from Mexico and the Northern Triangle accounted for 41% of stops on the border from October through July, up from only 12% three years earlier. […] Meanwhile, Mexicans made up 35% of all border encounters from October through July, higher than three years ago but well below the 85% reported in 2011 and the 95% at the turn of the century, according to government data.

Mexicans still cross elsewhere but often try to elude capture because they are likely to be expelled under a pandemic rule (Title 42) that denies them a chance to seek asylum.

“In theory, the rule that denies migrants the right to seek asylum on grounds of preventing spread of COVID-19 applies to all nationalities. But in practice, Title 42 is enforced largely for migrants who are accepted by Mexico, which has agreed to take in people expelled from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, as well as its own citizens”, according to AP news. In Yuma, Title 42 has become almost nonexistent, with the pandemic rule being applied in only 192 of 24,424 stops in July — less than 1%. In Tucson, it was used in 71% of stops. A court order has kept Title 42 in place indefinitely.

According to Associated Press, “It is unclear why routes are so divergent. U.S. officials believe inhospitable mountains and canyons near Tucson favor people trying to escape detection, while the ease of crossing in places like Yuma makes those paths better suited for families seeking to surrender. […] Migrants arrive over several hours on different paths, sparking concern among agents that smugglers may be trying to confuse them to sneak some people through undetected”.

The Border Patrol drops off hundreds of migrants each day at the Regional Center for Border Health, a clinic near Yuma that charters six buses daily to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Migrants are released on humanitarian parole or with a notice to appear in immigration court.