A short view, but with a marked immigration accent, he said this Thursday in Washington Colombian Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo.
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The centerpiece of his tour was a meeting with the US Secretary for Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, to review the immigration agenda between both countries.
From the meeting came the decision to convene for August of this year a new meeting of the tripartite mechanism that was established between the US, Panama and Colombia to address border security issues and the crisis in the Darién Gap.
The new appointment will take place in Bogotá, on a date yet to be defined.
The idea is to advance the initial objectives, which included efforts to combat smuggling networks and human trafficking, the opening of new legal avenues to encourage migration to the US and reduce irregular movement and a plan to address the causes of poverty in the border area through job creation and improvements in public services in the region.
Annual visas for Colombians
Murillo also took the opportunity to insist on key issues on the bilateral agenda on this front. Among them, the granting of up to 20,000 annual visas for Colombians who could travel to the US temporarily to fill jobs in the agricultural sector, tourism and other services.
After several profiling studies carried out by both governments, Three categories of visas have been identified that could accommodate the needs and characteristics of Colombians: the H-1 visa, the H-2B visa and the J visa.
The plan, which is still in its preliminary stage, would have the support of SENA and USAID.
Likewise, the family reunification program that was approved last year be accelerated and that allows Americans and holders of the Green Card take their relatives to the US while their visa processing progresses.
Although it is said that this could benefit up to 60,000 people, In the year since the initiative was launched, only about 600 individuals have been authorized to enter.
The chancellor also reiterated Colombia’s interest in the US approving a DED or deferred deportation program, which would allow thousands of undocumented immigrants to remain legally in the US for a limited time.
Although difficult given the electoral context in the US, The DED has the potential to benefit some 500,000 people who entered this country before 2016 for reasons attributed to the Colombian conflict.
Regarding Joe Biden’s new immigration measures, how many Colombians would benefit?
During the meeting, Murillo also planned to investigate the avenues that opened this week after President Joe Biden issued two executive orders that could benefit Colombians.
One allows undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens to apply for residency and obtain a work permit without having to leave the country as required by current law. According to the authorities, The program would benefit half a million people, but it is not yet known how many would be nationals.
The other provides for work permits and a path to residency for the so-called “dreamers”, or people who arrived in the US at a very young age and among whom there are thousands of Colombians.
The measure would cover those who have graduated from universities in the US and have a specific job offer in a highly qualified field, such as science and technology.
Although the figures are not clear, it is estimated that there are at least 50,000 Colombians who are considered “dreamers” out of a population of close to 2 million people. And many of them could qualify for this program.
Murillo also held a meeting with Daniel Erikson, the national security advisor for the Western Hemisphere with whom he worked on other issues on the agenda, such as the fight against drugs and the upcoming elections in Venezuela.
Likewise, the chancellor took advantage of his visit to Washington to meet with a group of US senators. Key meetings because, as we remember, the House of Representatives has just approved a reduction of up to 50 percent of the resources that the United States gives annually to the country and the Upper House, controlled by Democrats, is the only way to restore those funding levels.
Murillo, incidentally, had another meeting with a group of former ambassadors and former officials who closely follow the situation in the country. Among them Kevin Whitaker, William Brownfield, Mark Feierstein and Dan Restrepo.
SERGIO GÓMEZ MASERI
EL TIEMPO correspondent
Washington
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