SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Border Patrol arrested Gerardo Henao 14 hours after President Joe Biden suspended asylum processing at the U.S. border with Mexico this week. However, instead of immediate deportation, he was taken to a San Diego bus stop and later traveled to Newark, New Jersey by train.
Henao, originally from Medellin, Colombia, cited constant extortion attempts as the reason for leaving his jewelry business. The scarcity of deportation flights to Colombia worked in his favor, making it challenging for the Biden administration to implement the new measure on a large scale.
The policy, implemented on Wednesday, has exceptions based on operational considerations, acknowledging the limitations in resources, diplomatic issues, and logistical obstacles hindering mass deportations, especially for individuals from South America, Asia, Africa, and Europe who recently arrived at the border.
The Homeland Security Department highlighted in a document that the demographics and nationalities encountered at the border impact its ability to enforce deportations effectively.
While thousands of migrants have been deported under the ban, the government faces challenges in deporting everyone subject to the measure due to financial constraints and other factors. In the past week, there were 17 deportation flights, with one going to Uzbekistan, deporting individuals from countries such as Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Peru, and Mexico.
Henao, age 59, was informed about the ban by a Border Patrol agent after he was detained Wednesday near San Diego. He was given release papers and directed to appear in immigration court in New Jersey in October. Many migrants released that day were from various countries, including China, India, Colombia, and Ecuador, reflecting the diverse nationalities impacted by the new policy.
Under the new measure, asylum processing is halted when daily arrests for illegal crossings reach 2,500 and resumes once the average drops below 1,500 for a week.
Border officials prioritize detaining individuals who are easier to deport, followed by those from nationalities that pose more challenges due to delays in obtaining travel documents or lack of cooperation from their governments.
Due to limitations in resources and cooperation from countries, Homeland Security faces difficulties in deporting individuals from certain countries, according to Theresa Cardinal Brown from the Bipartisan Policy Center.
Deportation flights primarily target Central American countries, while flights to other regions such as Africa and China are limited, despite the significant number of migrants from these areas entering the U.S. each month.
Overall, the deportation process is complex, with various challenges such as limited resources, logistical hurdles, and government cooperation impacting the ability to enforce mass deportations effectively.
Associated Press writer Rebecca Santana in Washington contributed.
