The Biden administration introduced Monday that it had reached agreements with the governments of Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala for these internat
The Biden administration introduced Monday that it had reached agreements with the governments of Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala for these international locations to extend enforcement towards migration towards the US border.
Jen Psaki, the White Home press secretary, mentioned the three international locations have elevated their numbers of police and troops in an try and preserve migrants, together with households with youngsters, from making a harmful journey north.
Mexico has knowledgeable the US that it’ll preserve 10,000 troops at its personal southern border, aiming to double the variety of migrants that it stops from touring north, Ms. Psaki mentioned. Guatemala has added 1,500 troops to its border with Honduras and has arrange a sequence of a dozen checkpoints alongside the route that many migrants take as they head to the US.
She additionally mentioned that Honduras not too long ago “surged” 7,000 police and troops to disperse a contingent of migrants that had gathered to make the journey north looking for refuge.
“The target is to make it tougher to make the journey, and make crossing the border tougher,” Ms. Psaki mentioned.
The announcement of the agreements echoed a number of made by the Trump administration. In the summertime of 2019, President Donald J. Trump agreed to drop his risk to impose tariffs on Mexico after the nation agreed to ship 1000’s of troops to intercept migrants making their manner north to the border with the US.
Ms. Psaki credited the work of Roberta Jacobson, a former U.S. ambassador to Mexico, who has been serving as a senior border adviser on the Nationwide Safety Council. Ms. Jacobson mentioned final week that she intends to go away the administration, as initially deliberate, on the finish of the month.
The Biden administration has repeatedly mentioned that a part of addressing unlawful immigration from Central American international locations includes working diplomatically to minimize the crime, corruption and poverty that always drives folks to go away their properties looking for refuge.
President Biden final month put Vice President Kamala Harris in control of the long-term effort to enhance the situations in that area. The agreements with the international locations are an early take a look at of the cooperation that Ms. Harris will want as a way to reach that mission.
“These discussions are ongoing, over a time frame and happen at a number of ranges of the federal government, each right here and inside these international locations, Ms. Psaki mentioned.