Would be asylum-seekers from six Eurasian states trying to enter the US state of California are supposedly being singled out for expedited removal, according to reports published by right-wing news outlets in the United States. The countries whose citizens face expedited removal are reportedly Georgia, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
Citing a “broken” immigration system, US President Joseph Biden issued a proclamation in early June to suspend “the entry of any noncitizen into the United States” trying to illegally cross the southern border with Mexico. At least two partisan news outlets that maintain openly anti-Biden editorial stances, the Washington Examiner and the New York Post, claim that the new border rules are not being enforced evenly, citing a “leaked” memo reportedly distributed to US Border Patrol agents in California.
The document cited by the outlets supposedly instructs authorities to allow would-be asylum seekers from about 100 countries at the southern California border to continue to enter the United States, where they could stay while their immigration status was determined. This instruction appears to contradict the intent of the presidential proclamation.
At the same time, the memo supposedly singles out citizens from Georgia, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan for rigid enforcement of the presidential proclamation – immediate expedited removal from the United States. The reports do not provide a reason for why citizens of the six Eurasian states are targeted for expedited removal.
Neither the Examiner nor the Post published a copy of the purportedly leaked document. Its authenticity could not be independently verified. It appears the memo covers only a section of the California border with Mexico. The states of Arizona, New Mexico and Texas also share long borders with Mexico.
The Mexican route appears to be popular among Uzbeks seeking illicit entry into the United States. In December 2023, the US Embassy in Uzbekistan issued a statement warning Uzbek citizens that those caught at the US-Mexican border faced long visa bans and other possible restrictions. “U.S. borders are not open to illegal migration. We urge citizens of Uzbekistan to use a safe and legal pathway to travel to the United States,” the statement said. Earlier this year, a group of 35 Uzbek nationals being detained an holding centers after being caught trying to enter the United States illegally filed a lawsuit seeking their release from custody, citing discriminatory policies, the Uzbek news outlet Daryo reported.
