2023-10-22 08:50:00
Several Latin American presidents, including Cuba and Venezuela, open the issue of illegal immigration to the United States on Sunday in Mexico, a major crisis for Washington on the deadliest migratory route in the world, according to the IOM .
The heads of state and government meet in Palenque, in the state of Chiapas (south), gateway for migrants from Central America, Venezuela, Cuba and Haiti on their way to the United States .
In September alone, some 60,000 Venezuelans arrived in Mexico, as well as 35,000 nationals from Guatemala, according to Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Barcena.
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador confirmed the presence of the presidents of the main countries of departure of migrants: Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Venezuela, but also the Prime Minister of Haiti.
Lopez Obrador wants to “agree” with his Latin American partners to “seek cooperation from the United States government.”
Mexico’s objective is to give a regional dimension to the problem, according to specialist Dolores Paris Pombo.
Even if we should expect a “very declarative summit”, it is “the start of a dialogue with the southern countries”, she adds.
The mini-summit should attract the attention of the United States, even if it is entirely focused on the war between Israel and the Islamist movement Hamas as well as the conflict in Ukraine.
Returning from a lightning visit to Israel, American President Joe Biden asked Congress on Friday for an exceptional envelope of $105.85 billion to help Israel and Ukraine, stand up to China, on the military and economic, but also respond to the arrivals of migrants at the southern border.
Mr. Biden came to power in 2021 when the border was closed due to the pandemic.
“Deadliest migration route in the world”
This year, in May, the United States lifted “Title 42”, a measure activated by former President Donald Trump, which had blocked access to their territory for three years, allowing, under the pretext of a pandemic, to push back immediately all migrants entering the country.
When the border reopened, the United States set up an application to schedule asylum requests.
Mr. Biden stands out for an “incoherent policy” after the radical measures of his Republican predecessor, according to expert París Pombo. “They (the United States) give certain priorities to certain countries, but suddenly they suddenly close the door and change the program.”
“It doesn’t matter how many (border) agents there are along the Rio Bravo if the situation in Haiti or Venezuela doesn’t change. It won’t help if we don’t address the root causes of the situation. “immigration”, slips an American government source consulted by AFP.
Amnesty International called for respect for asylum seekers, and an end to discrimination against migrants, in reference to the Palenque summit.
“The border between the United States and Mexico is the deadliest land migration route in the world,” the International Organization for Migration (IOM) recently warned.
The IOM has recorded “686 deaths and disappearances of migrants at the border between the United States and Mexico in 2022”.
10/22/2023 08:48:09 – Mexico (AFP) – © 2023 AFP
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