Washington, United States
The Government of President of the United States Joe Biden, Will seek to implement a “comprehensive and long-term” plan to address the migration challenges of the Western Hemisphere, including those of its own system, said this Friday Roberta Jacobson, special assistant to the president, who admitted that the changes will not be they will give “overnight.”
“The Administration of the President Biden it is committed to (implementing) a fair, orderly and humane border procedure, but it will take time to pass, ”the also-southwest border coordinator at the National Security Council said during a conference call.
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This plan will have as pillars, according to the official, to reduce the causes that force people to migrate; expand access to international protection (refuge and asylum); expand family reunification mechanisms and labor migration programs, and protect national and border security.
“IT’S NOT THE TIME TO GET TO THE BORDER”
Jacobson, that was US Ambassador to Mexico between 2016 and 2018, he sent a message to migrants and families “who are now on their way to the United States or are thinking about this trip: the situation at the border has not changed.”
“Now is not the time to get to the border of the United States, Stated the official. Procedures will not change overnight and travel is especially dangerous now in the midst of a pandemic, ”he added.
United States and Mexico agreed to restrict non-essential land travel in March last year to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, a measure that had previously come into force on the border with Canada.
The decision, made by the past President Donald Trump Administration, remains in effect, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Jan. 20, the same day Biden arrived at the White House.
ASYLUM APPLICATIONS WILL BE PROCESSED AS FAST AS POSSIBLE
Jacobson also referred to people who, due to the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) program, also known as “Stay in Mexico,” are waiting in the neighboring country for a response to their request. asylum, and has indicated that they are devoting “sufficient resources to this challenge”.
On January 20, the Biden Administration announced that it would suspend enrollment in this program from January 21, which allowed the Trump administration to return asylum seekers to a neighboring country.
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“The Department of Homeland Security is not enrolling more people, more migrants in the program,” the adviser confirmed, noting that they are reviewing how they can prosecute migrants who are already part of this initiative, especially those who have been there for years. waiting and the “most vulnerable.”
And in a message to those who are registered, the southwestern border guard asked them to wait.
“Don’t get to the border now if you are not living on the border,” he argued, promising that they will be contacting participants through non-governmental and other organizations and that they will be prosecuted “in an orderly manner”.
NO PLANS TO TRANSFER PEOPLE TO CENTRAL AMERICA
Consulted on the Asylum Cooperation Agreements (ACA) with Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, countries that make up the so-called North Central American Triangle and where comes the largest number of migrants seeking to reach the United States through Mexico, rule out transfers.
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Jacobson detailed that transfers under the agreement with Guatemala – the only thing he said was updated – have been suspended since March due to the pandemic.
“The other two agreements, with El Salvador and Honduras, have not been implemented. Currently, there are no plans to transfer people under any of the three agreements,” he pointed out.
MIGRATION REFORM, A DIFFERENT PROPOSAL
The ambassador also referred to the immigration reform that Biden presented to Congress on his first day at the helm of government, saying it is more comprehensive and part of the “understanding to legalize people who they live in the shadows in the United States, 11 million or more, ”he said.
In this sense, he admitted that the process of this initiative in Congress “will be difficult”, but stressed that both the Republican and the Democrat side “understand very well that it is essential to change the situation of these people “and even pointed out that polls show that the majority of the American population is in favor of this project.