The head of American diplomacy, Antony Blinkenwarned this Tuesday that Washington will sanction those who facilitate “irregular migration”, by deploring the charter flights that arrive in Nicaragua with Asian and African migrants bound for the United States.
The “new visa restriction policy is aimed at people who knowingly provide transportation to those who intend to migrate irregularly to the United States, including charter flights arriving in Nicaragua,” Blinken said in a speech to continental ministers attending in Guatemala to a conclave that seeks solutions to the migration crisis.
Las delegations of at least 20 countries They met this Tuesday at Guatemala to board issues related to migration and the refugees on the continent, including the US Secretary of State.
The American official was the main guest of the Ministerial Meeting of the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protectionwhich took place this Tuesday at the National Palace of Culture, headquarters of the Government of Guatemala.
Blinken met with senior Latin American officials as part of the push for the Biden administration to ensure that the countries of the region they intensify the control of their borders and expand the forms legal to migrate.
The first meeting of this type took place on the occasion of the Ninth Summit of the Americas, in Los Angeles, in 2022 (REUTERS/Josue Decavele/Pool)
The president of the United States has faced multiple criticisms for his southern border management and the issue is a key concern for many voters in this year’s presidential election. In recent years, U.S. officials have increasingly turned to international partnerships to try to prevent large numbers of migrants from reaching the southern border.
The North American country depends in part on Mexicoits close partner on migration, to regulate the number of people destined for the southern border.
In late December, Blinken and Alexander N. Seniorthe secretary of homeland security, visited Mexico to discuss increased law enforcement during a month in which U.S. border agents encountered more than 250,000 migrants. Some days in December were held 10,000 stops, as collected The New York Times.
The meeting is being held to ensure that the countries of the region intensify control of their borders and expand the legal ways to migrate (REUTERS/Josue Decavele/Pool)
Since then, the number of migrants arriving at the southern border has dropped dramatically. In February, agents carried out about 140.000 arrests, as reported The New York Times. In March, there were more than 137,000 arrests, and the April count is expected to be even lower, around 129.000according to a person familiar with the statistics who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss figures yet to be finalized.
On Monday, the United States imposed executive visa restrictions of Colombian companies transporting migrants by sea, saying the movements were “primarily designed to facilitate irregular migration to the United States.”
The Guatemalan Foreign Ministry reported on Monday that the one-day meeting would be attended by delegations from Argentina, Belize, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, United States, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica , Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Suriname.
The downward trend in border numbers could help Biden demonstrate that he is taking border security seriously (REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein)
The first meeting of this type took place on the occasion of the Ninth Summit of the Americas, in Los Angeles, California, in June 2022like a initiative of the United States Governmentand was endorsed in October of that same year in Lima, Peru.
To date, a total of 22 countries on the American continent have adhered to the declaration, where every year thousands of people migrate in search of better living conditions, mostly destined for the United States.
The declaration has an implementation plan based on four pillars: stability y assistance for communities; promote regular migration and protection routes; humanitarian border management and coordinated emergency response.
Kristie Canegallo, a senior national security official, said the pact was important to “provide a shared framework and goals.”
During his stay in Guatemala, Blinken will also meet with the Guatemalan president, Bernardo Arevalo of Lioninaugurated last January, and will also hold meetings with “other leaders of the Western Hemisphere,” as confirmed by the US embassy.
With information from EFE and AFP