The May 11 expiration of Title 42 raised the specter of yet another US-induced humanitarian crisis at the Mexico border. Without the pandemic mechanism that allowed the United States to quickly deport 2.5 million asylum seekers since 2020, Joe Biden’s administration has sought new ways to expel and exclude desperate migrants fleeing dire economic conditions across the hemisphere.

The pandemic recession had a devastating impact on Latin American economies. But certain countries have seen their recovery stymied by unilateral US financial and trade restrictions. In 2022, 42 percent of US asylum requests came from Cuba and Venezuela alone — countries that are the target of brutal US sanctions.

If the Biden administration were serious about tackling the roots of today’s mass displacement, it would start by ending the sanctions that have made life in those countries all but impossible for working people.