- To compose
- BBC News World
image source, Getty Images
Leaders from 20 countries signed the Los Angeles Declaration at the Summit of the Americas.
Aiming to stem illegal migration across the Americas, 20 countries signed the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection this Friday at the IX Summit of the Americas.
The pact concluded the US meeting, which was marked by the absence of the presidents of several Latin American countries, who did not attend after Washington decided not to invite Nicaragua, Cuba and Venezuela, deeming them “anti-democratic”. governments’.
The US PresidentJoe BidenThe activity culminated with a speech stating that “illegal migration is not acceptable and that we are going to secure our borders”.
The president has been heavily criticized for upholding the automatic deportation of most illegal migrants arriving at his country’s southern border.
As he delivered his speech, a caravan of 15,000 people, one of the largest in recent years, was heading from southern Mexico to the United States.
The details of the agreement
The United States pledged to increase its quota for refugees from America to 20,000 in 2023 and 2024, with special priority for those from Haiti, while the other countries pledged to facilitate legal channels to receive immigrants, the Reuters agency reported.
The measures include the United States and Canada hiring more temporary workers and giving people from poorer countries the opportunity to work in richer countries.
Facing a record flow of illegal migrants on its southern border, the Biden government has pledged hundreds of millions of dollars in aid for Venezuelan migrants in the region.
image source, Getty Images
Migrants cross Mexican territory to reach the United States.
He indicated that he will renew the processing of family visas for Cubans and Haitians and facilitate the hiring of Central American workers.
“We are transforming our approach to managing migration in America,” Biden said. “Each of us signs commitments that recognize the challenges we all share.”
What the statement doesn’t mention
The statement includes specific commitments from countries such as Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica, Belize and Ecuador. However, none were mentioned from Brazil, the most populous country in Latin America.
The White House announcement did not include a US offer to grant more work visas to Mexicans, which will be part of the discussions when President Andrés Manuel López Obrador visits Biden next month, an official told Reuters.
Spain, which has been in attendance as an observer country, has pledged to double “the number of work visas” for Hondurans in Madrid’s “circular migration programs,” the White House said. Madrid’s temporary work program has only 250 Hondurans.
image source, CHANDAN KHANNAI
President Joe Biden hosted the Summit of the Americas
absent countries
Biden’s message was clouded by a partial boycott by leaders, including the president of Mexico, to protest Washington’s exclusion of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua.
Biden indicated that 6.1 million people have left Venezuela in recent years.
At the opening of the summit Thursday, the leaders of Argentina and tiny Belize criticized Biden face-to-face over the guest list, underscoring the challenge the global superpower is facing to restore its influence among poorer neighbors.
Chile, the Bahamas, Barbados and Antigua and Barbuda joined the criticism Friday, although Biden was not present. “We cannot have exclusions,” left-wing Chilean President Gabriel Boric said from the top podium.
Now you can receive notifications from BBC World. Download the new version of our app and activate it so you don’t miss our best content.
