[News] What is known about the migrant processing centers that the US will open in Colombia and Guatemala

[#Steeven.™]

For many Latin American migrants, the possibility of applying for asylum in the United States will now be a little further from the US border and perhaps closer to their country of origin.

This Thursday, the government of President Joe Biden announced the upcoming opening of migrant processing centers in Colombia and Guatemala.

This seeks to prevent the increase in the flow of migrants on the southern border with Mexico, as well as the dangerous journey that thousands of these people take to get there, sometimes having to cross the feared Darien jungle.

The move, announced by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, comes just weeks before the expiration of Title 42, a Trump-era provision that allows immigrants to be turned away based on public health concerns and that in practice it makes it possible to maintain a certain shielding of the US borders.

This regulation will be in force until next May 11, which generates great concern among the US authorities given the possibility that border control posts are overwhelmed by a large number of applicants.

"Let it be very clear: our border is not open nor will it be after May 11," Mayorkas said during the press conference in which he announced some measures that are being taken towards the end of Title 42, by which the US. The US has carried out more than two million expulsions of migrants at its border.

But what is known about these migrant care centers?

 

Managed by international organizations
Mayorkas said that the centers in Guatemala and Colombia should be up and running in the coming weeks.

It is also expected that the establishment of facilities of this type will be announced in other Latin American countries that have not yet been identified.

However, according to a document obtained by Politico, it is believed that there could be a center of these in Ecuador and, probably, in Costa Rica.

Mayorkas said he expects these new centers to process at least 5,000 to 6,000 migrants each month.

The official added that the idea is to contact people where they are, taking traffickers out of the game and preventing migrants from having to make the dangerous route to the United States.

The migrant centers will be managed by international organizations allied to the United States such as the UN Office for Refugees (Acnur) or the International Organization for Migration.

These organizations will carry out an evaluation of the migrants to determine if they meet the requirements to go to the United States.

In the affirmative cases, the migrants will be referred to be admitted to a refugee camp or to be processed through some other existing legal mechanism such as family reunification programs, permits to stay (parole) or admissions for legal purposes. of work.

The governments of Spain and Canada have indicated their willingness to receive people referred by these processing centers.

 

One of several measures
The US authorities have indicated that the opening of these centers is only one of several measures they are taking to manage migration and have said that they will also expand the family reunification program -existing for Cubans and Haitians- to include Guatemalans, Colombians, Hondurans and Salvadorans.

They will also increase the number of applications available through the CBP One app, currently used to manage migrant procedures in northern Mexico.

Along with these measures to facilitate and expand the entry of migrants, the US authorities will also apply a new rule that will prohibit those who cross the border illegally from seeking asylum.

In addition, they will expand the expedited expulsion process applicable to anyone who is not able to demonstrate a legal reason to remain in the country.

Maryorkas explained that whoever is expelled under this regulation -known as Title 8- will be prohibited from entering the United States for five years.

 

https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-internacional-65419747