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Nations Pledge Migration Cooperation 05/08 06:10
GUATEMALA CITY (AP) -- Representatives from 22 Western Hemisphere countries
gathered in Guatemala renewed their commitment Tuesday to continue offering
legal pathways to enter their countries, to provide aid to communities most
affected by migration and to coordinate their response to manage immigration
flows.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted that progress had been made in
all of those areas during the past two years. Still, the region saw record
migration last year both through the treacherous Darien Gap separating Colombia
and Panama and at the U.S. border.
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 core of our efforts is the message that individuals should take
advantage of lawful pathways rather than make the dangerous journey north,"
Blinken said during a news conference with Guatemala President Bernardo Arvalo
Tuesday morning.
He said the Biden administration would work with the U.S. Congress to come
up with another $578 million in aid to countries in the hemisphere hosting
migrants.
Signatory countries also said they would set up a coordinating body to
evaluate countries' progress in meeting their commitments.
Guatemala committed to expanding access to offices where migrants can be
screened and receive information about legal pathways. They had been limited to
only Guatemalans, but now will also assist Hondurans, Salvadorans and
Nicaraguans.
Mexico Foreign Affairs Secretary Alicia Brcena said via the social platform
X, formerly Twitter, that her country and the U.S. were on the same page: "Our
presidents share the interest in taking on the structural causes of migration
in the region and tackling shared challenges."
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