U.S. arrests of Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan and Venezuelan migrants plummet under new restrictions

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border dropped 97% from December to January following new restrictions by U.S. President Joe Biden that expel them back to Mexico.

    U.S. authorities encountered an average of just 115 migrants from those countries over a weeklong period ending on Jan. 24, down from an average 3,367 on Dec. 11, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on Wednesday.

    The department attributed the decrease to the restrictions and new legal pathways opened for migrants with U.S. sponsors who enter by air.

(Reporting by Ted Hesson in Washington D.C.)