The meeting of foreign ministers of the region which was held on Wednesday in Panamahad among its central points the issue of “shared responsibility”, to deal with the thousands of immigrants who irregularly try to reach the United States each year.
“The idea of shared responsibility was a very powerful point in today’s meeting,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at the press conference offered at the end of the meeting.
Blinken, referring to the compromises reached, said that close coordination between all the countries involved is necessary.
He also said that it is important that this connection of strategies is not only between governments but “also between international organizations, financial institutions, civil society,” among others.
Blinken was accompanied by the Secretary of National Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, and other senior officials of the Panamanian government.
What drives people to make the decision to leave their home?
The US Foreign Minister thanked Panama for being a leader in migration management in the region, while highlighting the state of economic relations between the two countries, as well as bilateral cooperation in the fight against corruption and drug trafficking.
Speaking about the US strategy, Bliken said that part of the plan is to go to the root causes of irregular immigration: “what drives people to make the decision to leave their home, leave their families, leave of their country, leave everything they know to make an extremely dangerous journey?”
However, he insisted, such a problem must be faced in a “sustainable” way.
Un plan regional
Maryorkas, on the other hand, asserted that the confrontation with irregular immigration in the last two years has made the task “more difficult and more urgent”, if the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the natural threats that have hit the country are taken into account. the region.
He also stressed the need to work together. “We have to think regionally about how to stop the flows through the illegal routes,” he insisted.
We have to think regionally how to stop the flows”
Mayorkas referred to the US strategy as a multi-component plan, creating “orderly and safe routes so that people don’t have to risk their lives.” He also said that, after the meeting, the initiative to “develop a humanitarian program for those who have emigrated and are already settled in other countries and thus give them a new chance in life” was discussed.
Secretary Mayorkas stressed that the US has several programs for immigrants who arrive legally. “Those who don’t qualify will continue to be repatriated,” he stated.
Republican critics of the government hold President Joe Biden responsible for the current record arrest figures of irregular immigrants, mainly on the southern border. His arguments point to the president’s decision to reverse the policies that were implemented in the era of former President Donald Trump, which would have encouraged people to come to the country.
The number of immigrants who were detained by the Border Patrol last March exceeded those of the previous twenty years, according to data from that federal entity. On at least 221,303 occasions the patrol detained immigrants on the border with Mexico, this means an increase of 34% compared to the previous month.
* With the collaboration of Raquel Herrera, from Panama City.
Connect with the Voice of America! Subscribe to our channel YouTube and turn on notifications, or follow us on social media: Facebook, Twitter e Instagram.