The US affirms that the arrival of migrants from Central America fell by 71%

First modification: 02/06/2023 – 23:28

“This trend encourages us, we know that it is not static, but we can confirm a 71% drop since August” of 2021 and in the last eight months there has been a “month by month” decrease, said an official who requested anonymity at the conference telephone press.

In July of that year, Vice President Kamala Harris launched a strategy to fight the causes of migration in Central America, where most of the migrants came from.

Since then, their number has decreased while the number of migrants from Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba or Haiti has increased, for whom President Joe Biden agreed with Mexico on a new policy under which he will allow 30,000 per month to enter, provided they submit an application. from the country where they are, have a sponsor in the United States and arrive by plane.

In any case, for the moment, the United States blocks the vast majority of migrants at the border if they do not have the required documentation to enter.

According to official data, in August 2021 the authorities intercepted 91,925 migrants from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala at the border and 35,995 in September 2022, the last month for which figures are available that do not include Mexicans.

The government official attributes the decline in arrivals from Central America to the resumption of humanitarian programs, the increase in temporary worker visas, the “excellent deportation cooperation” with those countries and the fight against human trafficking networks.”

Biden, who proposed a path to citizenship for 11 million migrants that hasn’t materialized, decided to combat the waves of migrants by addressing their “root causes,” a task he gave his vice president to encourage policy that would break with hard lines. of his predecessor, Republican Donald Trump.

“Congress must fix our broken immigration system” and “must provide the necessary funds for border security,” Harris insisted Monday at the beginning of a roundtable with the Alliance for Central America, which brings together leaders from the public and private sectors.

The Government’s strategy is based on three principles: the population does not migrate if it is not forced to, it is necessary to collaborate with other governments and the private sector and, above all, it is necessary to “promote good governance, reduce the violence and empower women”, insisted the vice president.

4.2 billion

Migration is one of the issues that concern Americans and the workhorse of the Republican Party, which accuses Biden of having lost “effective control” of the border with Mexico.

Harris announced new private sector investment commitments in Central America worth $950 million, bringing the total to $4.2 billion since May 2021, when he launched a plan for companies to get involved in tackling migration through economic opportunities.

“These investments have created jobs, they have increased access to the financial system, including the internet, they have allowed small businesses to prosper having access to financing,” he said.

According to the vice president, “so far more than 1 million people have been able to join the formal financial economy, including 65,000 who now have bank accounts.”

This Monday the vice president also announced the launch of a new phase of the public-private partnership, which she named Centroamérica Adelante.

At this stage, Washington will support investments, for example by identifying clean energy projects or with technical assistance, will help finance initiatives, and will support programs that train young people.

with AFP