Immigration is always a divisive political issue, but it’s been particularly loaded for President Joe Biden, who has seen a record number of migrants fleeing political and economic crises in Latin America arrive at the US southern land border under his watch. To address this issue – used as a cudgel by Republicans – Biden recently announced a new immigration policy, whereby migrants from Nicaragua, Haiti, Cuba, in addition to Venezuela, would be eligible for “parole” – meaning temporary two-year work visas – only if they apply for asylum from outside the US. Mexico, for its part, has agreed to take in 30,000 migrants each month from these countries expelled by the US. How many people will this plan impact? We take a look at monthly migrant arrivals from these four countries in 2022.
