"Since the launch of this joint enforcement action, we have seen the number of Venezuelans attempting to cross the southern border decrease sharply by more than 85%," Jean-Pierre said during a press briefing on Monday.
The number of migrants arriving at the US southern border from Venezuela, as well as Nicaragua and Cuba, increased by 245% since September 2021, Jean-Pierre said.
Nearly 188,000 Venezuelan migrants were apprehended on the US southern border in fiscal year 2022, according to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Earlier this month, the Biden administration announced a new deal with Mexico to disrupt the influx of Venezuelan asylum-seekers making their way to the US-Mexico border. The measure expands on a Trump-era public health policy known as Title 42 that allows US immigration enforcement to immediately expel migrants to Mexico due to concerns about the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Some two-and-a-half million immigrants have entered the United States illegally via the US southern border since October 2021, according to CBP. This sets a second-consecutive year the Biden administration has witnessed record breaking numbers on the southern border without effectively stopping the flow.