First modification:
The appointment that brings together the leaders of the American continent concluded this Friday with an agreement on migration. Despite the great absence of regional leaders, the enclave ended with the pact hand in hand with the twenty countries present. Jobs, refugee visas and resumption of procedures, among other aspects, at the center of the debates. The absentees were more present than expected and desired by the host country, the United States.
The plenary lights went out at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, but the debate continues.
The “Declaration of the Angels on Migration and Protection” was signed by twenty nations, thus sealing the conclusions of a summit marked by the admission controversy, placing the absentees in a position of omnipresence that is not pleasant for the hosts.
Some details of the agreement have come to light. Among the commitments made are, among others, expanding up to 20,000 annual quotas of refugees from the continent for 2023 and 2024, giving special attention to those from Haiti, the territory with the highest poverty rates on the continent.
Facilitating legal channels to receive immigrants, with the United States and Canada being some of the nations that most authorize the entry of temporary workers, is another of the aspects agreed upon, thus providing the necessary channels for people from the most impoverished countries to work in the More rich.
The resumption of the processing of family visas for Cubans was also in the pipeline, along with the facilitation of the hiring procedures for Central American workers.
In this sense, the absence of the three leaders of the so-called ‘Northern Triangle’ was felt: Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, countries that make up some of the main departure points for migrants to the north, which casts doubt on the effectiveness of the plan approved in Los Angeles.
However, US officials downplayed the absence of those dignitaries, arguing that their absence was not an obstacle to reaching an agreement.
Omissions and compromises in the final document
The final document outlines a series of commitments from a group of countries, although no agreement was mentioned with Brazil, the country with the largest population in South America. Yes, it was known about the conversations that took place about the Amazon.
The final document also does not mention any commitment of the United States with Mexico. However, it is to be hoped that these issues can be discussed in the next visit that the Mexican president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, will make to his counterpart Joe Biden. The issue of extra visas for Mexican workers may be one of the central topics of the future meeting.
For its part, Spain, which attended the Summit as a guest nation, promised to “double the number of work visas” for Hondurans. A symbolic gesture that is not expected to be added to the 250 already registered in the temporary work program in Madrid.
Migration is one of the key issues for the Biden Administration, which is on the brink of important elections in November that could tip the balance of the US Legislature towards the Republican Party, the main critics of the handling of this issue by the White House .
With Reuters and local media
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