U.S. Announces Plan to Establish Migrant Processing Centers in Central and South America

HI INDIA NEWS DESK
WASHINGTON, DC- The Biden administration is opening processing centers in Central and South American countries to provide legal pathways for migrants to come to the U.S. The first processing centers will be operated by international organizations partnering with the U.S. and opened in Guatemala and Colombia in the coming weeks. Migrants will be screened and referred for refugee resettlement or other lawful pathways such as parole programs, family reunification, or existing labor pathways. The centers may also provide migrants with social services or pathways to resettle in Canada, Spain, or a country in their region.

The administration aims to expand the number of legal pathways to the U.S. while making it harder for migrants to claim asylum at the U.S. border. The plan to work with other countries to stem irregular migration throughout the Western Hemisphere will be announced by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in a press conference on Thursday.

As Title 42 Covid restrictions are set to lift on May 11, federal immigration officials and local shelter operators are worried about the expected surge of over 10,000 border arrivals per day. The administration plans to quickly remove migrants who do not qualify, but this depends on cooperation from Mexico, which has agreed to continue taking back migrants from Venezuela, Cuba, Haiti, and Nicaragua. The officials did not say how many migrants Mexico would take back per month or what other nationalities may be expelled to Mexico if they do not meet the new criteria to enter the U.S.