Venezuelans eclipse Central Americans in Border Patrol custody, highlighting scale of crisis

More Venezuelans were in the custody of the Border Patrol at the end of October than any other nationality of migrants, an indication of the extremely high numbers of displaced South Americans are flocking to the United States amid the Biden administration’s lax border policies.

Never before have Venezuelans arrived at the border at the current rates. Usually, Mexico or Central American nations top the list of countries with the most citizens in federal custody at the border. The mass arrival of migrants from other, more remote countries is an indication that the migration problem is larger than the administration has acknowledged.