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President Biden announces Southern Border crackdown
Justin Matthews reports
TAMPA, Fla. - President Joe Biden announced Thursday he's focusing on the Southern Border and will visit Sunday to see the migrant crisis first hand.
His immigration policy will allow a maximum of 30,000 migrants from Venezuela, Nicaragua, Haiti and Cuba to enter the US per month as long as they have a sponsor in the country and pass background checks.
That number may seem large, but immigration attorneys said the amount of migrants entering the country without going through proper legal processes far exceeds 30,000.
RELATED: 500+ Cuban immigrants flow into Florida Keys overwhelming border officials
"That really speaks to how big the problem is, 30,000 people per month, and we’re striking a deal with that, you could imagine," said Emel Ersan, an immigration attorney in Tampa. "Last year, we were looking at 70,000 just from Venezuela, that was per year, but if you put together Mexico and all the other southern Latin countries."
Ersan said a similar policy was set just for Venezuelans, and it was successful.
"We actually had a 90% drop of how many people entered from Venezuela once he instituted this policy of, ‘look, you’re either going to come here legally through this 30,000 contingency that I’m giving, or you’re going to be totally foreclosed to do any asylum or humanitarian rights,’ so he’s pushing people to do it the legal way and not cross the border," said Ersan.
She said the American immigration system is overwhelmed and this could be an effective way of managing it in Florida and across the country.
MORE: Hundreds of migrants come ashore in Florida Keys, forcing closure of Dry Tortugas National Park
Since October 1, the U.S. Coast Guard stopped 4,200 Cuban migrants at sea. Cuba to Florida is about 100 miles, and it can be a very dangerous journey. Several have died on the journey.
This past weekend, more than 500 Cubans came ashore in the Florida Keys.
"Florida is going to be relieved in a large way because even though we hear a lot of the Mexican border, that’s not the only issue, Florida has been a hotspot," said Ersan.
Next week, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody will take aim at President Biden’s immigration policies in court.
Her office announced Thursday that attorneys spent months pouring over his policies, and they believe those protocols are unlawful and even create a threat to public safety.