Representatives from 22 countries of the Western Hemisphere meeting in Guatemala have renewed their commitment to continue offering legal routes to enter their countries, provide aid to the communities most affected by migration and coordinate their respective…
GUATEMALA CITY — Representatives from 22 countries in the Western Hemisphere meeting in Guatemala on Tuesday renewed their commitment to continue offering legal pathways to enter their countries, provide aid to communities most affected by migration, and coordinate their response to manage migratory flows.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted that progress had been made in all of those areas over the past two years. Still, the region saw record migration last year both across the treacherous Darien Gap separating Colombia from Panama and across the border with the United States.
Two years ago, leaders from across the hemisphere signed the “Los Angeles Declaration,” a U.S.-led attempt to coordinate a regional response to historic levels of migration.
“At the center of our efforts is the message that people should take advantage of legal paths instead of making the dangerous journey north,” Blinken said during a press conference with Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo on Tuesday. the morning.
He said the Biden administration would work with the US Congress to provide another $578 million in aid to countries in the hemisphere that host migrants.
The signatory countries also said they would establish a coordination body to evaluate the countries’ progress in meeting their commitments.
Guatemala committed to expanding access to offices where migrants can be examined and receive information about legal avenues. They had been limited only to Guatemalans, but now they will also help Hondurans, Salvadorans and Nicaraguans.
The Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, Alicia Bárcena, said through the social platform and address shared challenges. “