US Summit: US to announce ‘regional agreement’ on immigration with Latin American countries

US President Joe Biden will announce today a “regional agreement” with Latin American countries on immigration, the White House announced at the close of the US Summit, which took place in Los Angeles.

Biden “called on all governments on the path of migrants to adopt or strengthen asylum procedures on their territory, to guard their borders more effectively” and to locate “them “People who are not entitled to asylum,” a senior US government official said in a telephone interview with reporters.

However, he did not mention many details of the “Los Angeles Declaration” which is expected to set the principle of “shared responsibility” for immigration.

A senior White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Washington “does not expect all (Latin American countries participating in the summit) to sign the text.”

The issue of immigration is particularly politically sensitive for Biden.

Republicans accuse him of not cracking down on immigration, as thousands of people try to cross the southern border illegally every day. On the contrary, the most left-wing Democrats criticize Biden for not pursuing a more humane immigration policy than his predecessor, Donald Trump.

The outcome of this agreement that Washington wants to adopt is even more uncertain as Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, a crucial US partner on immigration, did not attend the US Summit.

He protested the US decision not to invite Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela because of their “reservations” about the state of democracy and human rights in those countries.

Other leaders have voiced opposition to Washington’s decision.

The summit was aimed at restarting dialogue between the United States and an area that had not previously been the focus of the Biden administration’s diplomatic concerns.

However, so far no significant announcements have been made regarding the economy, but mainly promises of cooperation in the economic field, health and in the fight against climate change.

Source: AMPE