U.S. Opening New Migrant Processing Centers in Colombia, Guatemala Amid Migration Surge

The U.S. has announced plans to open new migrant processing centers in Colombia and Guatemala amid the migration surge across the U.S.-Mexico border.

According to BBC News, the regional facilities aim to process thousands of claims a month while providing migrants with other safer and legal ways of migration as part of the U.S. efforts to reduce undocumented immigration.

In addition, the number of deportations for those ineligible to enter the U.S. will also be doubled or tripled. U.S. officials also announced their plans on Thursday to double or triple the number of deportation flights to some countries.

They also said those trying to reach America illegally by sea would now be ineligible for parole, allowing them to temporarily live and work in the U.S.

The new plans have been announced as a preparation for the end of Title 42, a measure introduced during the administration of former President Donald Trump that gave immigration agents the right to immediately expel undocumented migrants even before they could register on an asylum request.

The Title 42 will end on May 11, as expected.

New Migrant Processing Centers in Guatemala and Colombia

U.S. officials said the first migrant processing centers will be managed by other international organizations partnered with the U.S. NBC News reported that these processing centers will open in Guatemala and Colombia in the coming weeks.

A senior administration official said individuals would speak to specialists to be screened, and if eligible, they would be referred for refugee settlement or other lawful ways such as parole programs, family reunification, or existing labor efforts.

Aside from the U.S., the centers can also provide migrants with other ways to resettle in Canada, Spain, or other countries in their region.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, together with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, made the announcement about the new migrant processing centers on Thursday.

Blinken thanked Colombia and Guatemala for their role "as excellent partners" of the U.S. in this initiative.

The preparations for the transition have been in place for more than a year and a half, according to Mayorkas. He then called on Congress to provide the resources they needed to continue the work they had started.

Migration Surge in U.S. Border

In the 2022 fiscal year, U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported more than 2.2 million migrant "encounters." According to Al Jazeera, the new record was up from about 1.67 million in the 2021 fiscal year to only 400,000 the year before.

Right advocates noted that Title 42 violates international law and exposes people to threats in Mexico. However, several U.S. border states argued it was needed to prevent an even greater surge in arrivals.

President Joe Biden has tried to reverse some of Donald Trump's immigration policies, such as Title 42. The migration situation in the U.S. has compelled some of the states, especially those near the U.S.-Mexico border, to send busloads of migrants to cities that are usually Democratic-run such as New York and Chicago.

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey joined Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in sending migrants to other cities.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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