Washington. – The US government announced Thursday that Spain, Canada and the United States will accept immigrants whose cases will be legally handled through processing centers in Latin American countries, such as Colombia and Guatemala.
The announcement is part of a raft of US measures to try to limit the flow of immigrants toward its border with Mexico from May 11, when Title 42, the immigration regulation that allows for speedy expulsion, was suspended.
And the Department of State and Homeland Security stressed in a statement that these measures will be implemented “in close coordination with regional partners, including the governments of Mexico, Canada, Spain, Colombia and Guatemala ».
Specifically, the United States, Spain and Canada will receive immigrants who will be sent from processing centers that the United States will set up in countries in the region such as Colombia and Guatemala to manage the applications of people who want to immigrate.
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In these centers, people will be able to access certain legal immigration pathways such as obtaining refugee status, family reunification programs, and work permits in the United States.
These facilities will be managed with “international organizations” and there immigrants who are assessed will be able to take advantage of refugee programs and humanitarian permits for families or work in the United States, US government officials said Thursday in a contact with reporters. In parallel, Canada and Spain agreed to receive immigrants referred from these centers.
Through this new measure, a high-ranking official confirmed, the United States is seeking to help immigrants access regular immigration routes in its territory and in other countries in a “safe, orderly, and humane” manner. “The USA. It makes legal immigration routes more accessible from South and Central America as an alternative to preventing people from taking sometimes dangerous paths,” the official stressed.
This announcement is part of the actions taken by the United States prior to the hike Title 42 on May 11th. This rule has allowed more than 2.5 million expulsions of immigrants since it went into effect in 2020 under the pretext of the pandemic during the former president’s term. Donald Trump (2017-2021).
In a hearing before a congressional committee last week, Acting Customs and Border Protection Administrator Troy Miller-Miller said the number of irregular border crossings is expected to rise to 10,000 per day once the regulation is suspended.
