Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken was scheduled to meet with top Latin American officials in Guatemala on Tuesday to urge countries in the region to step up enforcement of their borders and expand legal migration options.
President Biden has faced criticism over his handling of the southern border, and the issue is a key concern for many voters in this year’s presidential election. U.S. officials have increasingly relied on international partnerships in recent years to prevent large numbers of migrants from reaching the southern border.
The United States relies heavily on Mexico, its closest migration partner, to control the number of people destined for the southern border. In late December, Mr. Blinken and Alejandro N. Mayorkas, the Homeland Security secretary, traveled to Mexico to discuss increased enforcement amid a month of encounters by U.S. border officials with more than 250,000 migrants. On some days in December, 10,000 stops were made.
Since then, the number of migrants arriving at the southern border has fallen dramatically. Agents made around 140,000 arrests in February. There were more than 137,000 arrests in March, and April’s figure is expected to be even lower, at around 129,000, according to a person familiar with the statistics who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss figures yet to be finalized.
The downward trend in border numbers could help Mr. Biden make clear that he is serious about border security.
Tuesday’s meeting is part of ongoing talks related to the Los Angeles Declaration, a 2022 agreement signed by the United States, Mexico, Guatemala, Brazil and other countries. The agreement stipulates that each country is responsible for securing its borders and that countries promote new legal migration efforts.
Kristie Canegallo, a senior Homeland Security official, said the pact was important to “provide a framework and common goals.”
U.S. officials point to the establishment of so-called safe mobility offices in countries such as Colombia, Guatemala, Ecuador and Costa Rica as a direct result of the agreement. The offices have helped the Biden administration improve refugee processing from the region.
On Monday, the United States imposed visa restrictions on executives of Colombian companies that transport migrants by sea, saying the trips were “primarily intended to facilitate irregular migration to the United States.”
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2024-05-07 15:28:40
www.nytimes.com
