The United States, Brazil and 18 other countries on the American continent, including Mexico and several Central American nations, signed this Friday (10) a declaration with concrete commitments to contain the migratory crisis in the region.
The signing ceremony of the so-called Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection was conducted by US President Joe Biden during the last day of the 9th Summit of the Americas, which brings together leaders from across the continent in Los Angeles.
“No nation should shoulder this responsibility alone,” said Biden, who highlighted that not only is irregular immigration to the US increasing, but that millions of Venezuelans have arrived in Colombia and that immigrants now represent “10% of the population of Costa Rica.” .
To alleviate the pressure generated by these flows, the signatory countries have committed, among other things, to expand the opportunities to migrate legally to contain the influx of undocumented immigrants on the southern border of the United States, which continues to increase.
“We need to stop the dangerous and illegal ways people are migrating. Illegal immigration is not acceptable, and we will protect our borders,” Biden said.
The United States has pledged to increase its quota of refugees from the Americas to 20,000 for 2023 and 2024, with special priority for those from Haiti, as well as to continue accepting non-agricultural temporary workers from Central America and to prevent “abuses” in their hiring.
The declaration was signed by the United States, Brazil, Argentina, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay.
Among those who did not sign it, are three countries of origin of many of the undocumented immigrants who cross the continent: Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, which the US government decided not to invite to the Summit of the Americas because it considers them undemocratic.
Biden particularly thanked the commitments made by Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Guatemala, Canada and Spain, a country that participated in the summit as an observer, represented by the Secretary of State for International Cooperation, Pilar Cancela.
Spain has committed to doubling the number of legal avenues for Honduran workers to participate in Spain’s circular migration programs, according to the White House.
Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso also spoke at the event, emphasizing the need to promote “an integral development agenda that has the human being at the center”.
“It is urgent to promote opportunities for development in the countries of origin, on the one hand, and on the other, to promote actions to identify and dismantle the international mafias that control irregular immigration”, he stressed.
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