Secretary of State Antony Blink
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Under Trump-era policies, numerous asylum seekers seeking refuge on the US-Mexico border had to first apply for asylum in El Salvador, Guatemala or Honduras.
The US has “suspended and initiated the process to end asylum cooperation agreements with the governments of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras as the first concrete steps towards greater partnership and cooperation in the region, as outlined by President Biden”, ” Blinken said in a statement.
We will deliver @POTUS‘s vision of safe, orderly and humane regional migration. As we suspend and end asylum cooperation agreements with the governments of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, we will take concrete steps towards greater partnership and cooperation.
– Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) February 6, 2021
The Trump administration reached the agreement in 2019 as part of its efforts to limit immigration and reduce the number of refugees entering the US. According to the State Department, it has never been formally established between the US and Honduras or El Salvador, and the coronavirus pandemic has suspended all transfers between the US and Guatemala since March.
President Biden last week signed several executive actions related to immigration, including one requiring the State Department to “immediately” consider whether to inform officials in the other three countries that the US intended to end the agreement, Reuters noted.
“To be clear, these actions don’t mean the US border is open. While we are committed to expanding legal avenues for protection and opportunity here and in the region, the United States is a country with borders and laws that must be enforced, ”Blinken said in the statement. “We are also committed to providing safe and orderly processing for everyone arriving at our border, but those attempting to migrate are putting themselves and their families at risk on a potentially very dangerous journey.”
Read more from The Hill:
Biden’s immigration policy looks beyond Trump’s reversal