What does the migration agreement signed by the US and the governments of the continent at the Summit of the Americas consist of?

With the aim of curbing irregular migration in the American continent, 20 countries signed the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection this Friday during the IX Summit of the Americas.

The pact closed the meeting held in the US, which was marked by the absence of the presidents of several Latin American countries, who did not attend after Washington decided not to invite Nicaragua, Cuba and Venezuela, considering them “anti-democratic governments.”

The American presidentJoe Bidenculminated the activity with a speech in which he declared that “illegal migration is not acceptable and we are going to secure our borders.”

The president has been heavily criticized for maintaining the automatic deportation of most irregular migrants who arrive at the southern border of his country.

As he was giving his speech, a caravan of 15,000 people, one of the largest in recent years, was heading for the United States from southern Mexico.

The details of the agreement

The United States promised to increase its quota of refugees from the Americas to 20,000 by 2023 and 2024, with special priority to those from Haiti, while the other countries promised to facilitate legal channels to receive immigrants, the Reuters agency reported.

The measures include the United States and Canada taking in more temporary workers and providing pathways for people from poorer countries to work in richer ones.

The Biden administration, facing a record influx of illegal migrants at its southern border, has pledged hundreds of millions of dollars in aid for Venezuelan migrants in the region.

Migrants cross Mexican territory to reach the United States. GETTY IMAGES

He indicated that he will renew the processing of family visas for Cubans and Haitians and will facilitate the hiring of Central American workers.

“We are transforming our approach to managing migration in the Americas,” Biden said. “Each of us is signing commitments that recognize the challenges we all share.”

What the declaration does not mention

The declaration includes specific commitments from countries such as Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica, Belize and Ecuador. However, none were mentioned from Brazil, the most populous country in Latin America.

The White House announcement did not include any U.S. offer to grant more work visas to Mexicans, which will be part of the discussions when President Andrés Manuel López Obrador visits Biden next month, an official told Reuters.

Spain, which attended as an observer country, has pledged to “double the number of work visas” for Hondurans in Madrid’s “circular migration programs,” the White House said. The temporary work program in Madrid only has 250 Hondurans.

President Joe Biden hosted the Summit of the Americas CHANDAN KHANNA

absent countries

Biden’s message was clouded by a partial boycott by leaders, including the president of Mexico, to protest Washington’s exclusion of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua.

Biden indicated that 6.1 million people have left Venezuela in recent years.

At the summit’s opening Thursday, the leaders of Argentina and tiny Belize berated Biden face-to-face over the guest list, underscoring the challenge the global superpower faces in restoring its influence among poorer neighbors.

Chile, the Bahamas, Barbados and Antigua and Barbuda joined the criticism on Friday, although Biden was not present. “We cannot have exclusions,” said leftist Chilean President Gabriel Boric from the summit podium.

Source: Elcomercio