U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement signed a memorandum with the Honduran National Police agreeing to cooperate in future investigations involving Honduran nationals.

The agreement grants both agencies the ability to share immigration and criminal history record information on individuals from Honduras who are set for deportation from the U.S.

"Today's signing is a reflection of the great bilateral relationship we have with the government of Honduras. Sharing criminal history information better equips both countries to protect its citizens," said ICE Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Thomas Winkowski in a statement.

"We share a common interest focused on the security and protection of our people. We will achieve this through the investigation, detention and prevention of illicit activities," said Honduran National Police Director General Antonio Sabillion Pineda.

The memorandum was signed in the Honduran capital city of Tegucigalpa by Winkowski and Pineda.

The memorandum comes as Honduras becomes the top country of origin for unaccompanied, undocumented minors crossing the southern U.S. border. According to the Department of Homeland Security, 17,582 unaccompanied, undocumented children have come to the U.S. from Honduras between the start of the 2014 fiscal year and July 31. During the fiscal year of 2013, Mexico led the statistics for most unaccompanied immigrant children apprehended by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency with 17,240, while the total from Honduras was 6,747 minors. Pew Research Center noted more than 60 percent of the overall 573,000 Honduran immigrants in the U.S. are "unauthorized."

DHS disclosed the Honduran homicide rate is the highest within the region, with approximately with approximately 90 murders per 100,000 inhabitants each year, more than twice the rate of El Salvador or Guatemala.

Despite the memorandum, it has not stopped Hondurans from traveling north to the U.S.

Honduran Hector Hernandez, who works for a morgue in San Pedro Sula, told the Los Angeles Times that many youths are killed in the country. Hernandez noted some minors have been killed "only three days" after their deportation from the U.S. Of the 42 children who were killed in a Honduran town since February, Hernandez said that approximately five, but as many as 10, were recently deported from the U.S.

Regardless of their home country, the White House said up to 150,000 undocumented children will enter the U.S. by 2015.

President Barack Obama has ordered the Department of Justice and DHS to provide recommendations and legal options to help address the immigration crisis. As Latin Post reported, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Obama could issue an executive action in late August or early September to address the immigration crisis.

ICE did not respond to questions regarding whether similar memorandums exist or are being pursued with other Latin American countries.

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