US President Joe Biden and other leaders from the western hemisphere have announced what is being billed as a roadmap for countries to host large numbers of migrants and refugees.
“The Los Angeles Declaration” could be the biggest achievement of the Summit of the Americas, which was undercut by differences over Biden’s invitation list.
Leaders of Mexico and several Central American countries sent top diplomats instead after the US excluded Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela.
A set of principles announced on the summit’s final day includes legal pathways to enter countries, aid to communities most affected by migration, humane border management and coordinated emergency responses.
The White House highlighted measures that were recently announced and some new commitments. Costa Rica will extend protections for Cubans, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans who arrived before March 2020. Mexico will add temporary worker visas for up to 20,000 Guatemalans a year.
The United States is committing $314 million to assist countries hosting refugees and migrants, and is resuming or expanding efforts to reunite Haitian and Cuban families. Belize will “regularize” Central American and Caribbean migrants in the country.
The United States has been the most popular destination for asylum-seekers since 2017, posing a challenge that has stumped Biden and his immediate predecessors, Donald Trump and Barack Obama.
But the US is far from alone. Colombia and neighbouring South American countries host millions of people who have fled Venezuela.
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