The reforms would reportedly deprive migrants of the chance to seek asylum in the US if they enter the US without permission from Mexico.
But President Biden also said up to 30,000 people a month could come legally from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela if they meet a series of requirements including finding a sponsor and showing they can afford a plane ticket .
UNHCR Spokesman Boris Cheshirkov told journalists in Geneva that while the UN agency welcomed the expanded safe and regular routes to enter the US for some, the new measures “must not prevent people who are forced to flee their basic… exercising the human right to security”.
More exam time required
Due to the “multifaceted” nature of the government’s announcement, UNHCR is seeking additional details and analyzing the likely impact of the measures, Mr Cheshirkov said, which would allow entry for an “unprecedented number of people” from the four nationalities.
In addition to considering the well-being of thousands already en route from Latin America and Central America, the agency expressed concern about the expansion of the controversial COVID-pandemic emergency “Title 42” health-restriction order to expel Cubans, Haitians and Nicaraguans without the weighing the dangers they fled or the risks and hardships many of them will face in Mexico.
UNHCR had consistently called for its annulment, and the matter has sparked a major court battle in the US, with the Supreme Court ruling in late December that the policy allowing migrants to be turned away at the border on health grounds should remain in place for the time being.
“What we reiterate is that this does not meet refugee law standards and that a link is to be made between the announced safe and legal pathways and of course we welcome the expansion of those on the one hand that are accessible to some people with the limitation of the Right to asylum for many more who are ineligible for these routes,” said Mr Cheshirkov.
Safer Ways
Seeking asylum is a basic human right, the agency stressed.
UNHCR will continue to work with the US and other governments to expand safe routes and develop protections and solutions for asylum seekers – in line with international standards, the spokesman said.
