Guatemala City: Washington is doubling down on efforts to disrupt migration routes to the United States, particularly through Central American charter flights, top diplomat Antony Blinken said at regional talks on Tuesday.
The secretary of state led the US delegation to the Guatemala session of the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection, which was agreed at the 2022 summit in California.
In February, Washington announced a new visa ban policy targeting “individuals who knowingly provide transportation to persons who wish to immigrate illegally to the United States, including persons who knowingly provide transportation via charter flights to Nicaragua.”
Blinken on Monday announced a visa ban for the United States’ Colombian migrant workers.
“We are doubling our efforts to protect migrant workers from exploitation.”
Washington sees Guatemala’s new administration as a migration partner, with President Joe Biden and Bernardo Arevalo meeting in March. It was also announced that US aid of 170 million dollars will be provided during this visit.
A month ago, Guatemala agreed to trilateral cooperation on migration with the United States and Mexico.
Arevalo called for “safe, orderly, humane and regulated migration” in a speech at a regional meeting.
The former member of parliament, diplomat and sociologist took office in January after a failed attempt by the political body to shut down the launch of an anti-corruption campaign.
Tuesday’s talks were attended by foreign ministers and other top officials from around 20 countries.
“We believe that migration is a multifaceted problem and we must find a solution together from there,” Chilean Foreign Minister Gloria de la Fuente told AFP.
Diego Beltrand, director of North and Central America and the Caribbean of the International Organization for Migration, called on participants to “agree on a clear plan” to deal with the crisis.
Many migrants, mostly from Central America and Venezuela, are trying to enter the United States, fleeing poverty, violence and disasters exacerbated by climate change.
According to US Customs and Border Protection, nearly 2.5 million people were detained at the US-Mexico border in fiscal year 2023.
The issue has emerged as a top political issue with former President Donald Trump, Biden’s Republican rival in the November election.
Migrants from the United States come to Central America not only by land, but also by air and sea to avoid the treacherous Darien forest between Colombia and Panama.
Complicating matters for the United States is the fact that some migration is legal along the way.
According to US officials and Central American analysts, Nicaragua is becoming a transit point for Asian and African migrants using charter and commercial flights thanks to Nicaragua’s more favorable visa policy.
Nicaragua did not attend Tuesday’s talks and did not sign the 2022 declaration.
Biden refused to invite the left-wing leaders of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua to the Los Angeles summit because it is authoritarian.
