Nations Pledge Migration Cooperation   05/08 06:10

   

   GUATEMALA CITY (AP) -- Representatives from 22 Western Hemisphere countries 
gathered in Guatemala renewed their commitment Tuesday to continue offering 
legal pathways to enter their countries, to provide aid to communities most 
affected by migration and to coordinate their response to manage immigration 
flows.

   U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted that progress had been made in 
all of those areas during the past two years. Still, the region saw record 
migration last year both through the treacherous Darien Gap separating Colombia 
and Panama and at the U.S. border.

   Two years ago, leaders from across the hemisphere signed the "Los Angeles 
Declaration," a U.S.-led attempt to coordinate a regional response to historic 
levels of migration.

   "At the core of our efforts is the message that individuals should take 
advantage of lawful pathways rather than make the dangerous journey north," 
Blinken said during a news conference with Guatemala President Bernardo Arvalo 
Tuesday morning.

   He said the Biden administration would work with the U.S. Congress to come 
up with another $578 million in aid to countries in the hemisphere hosting 
migrants.

   Signatory countries also said they would set up a coordinating body to 
evaluate countries' progress in meeting their commitments.

   Guatemala committed to expanding access to offices where migrants can be 
screened and receive information about legal pathways. They had been limited to 
only Guatemalans, but now will also assist Hondurans, Salvadorans and 
Nicaraguans.

   Mexico Foreign Affairs Secretary Alicia Brcena said via the social platform 
X, formerly Twitter, that her country and the U.S. were on the same page: "Our 
presidents share the interest in taking on the structural causes of migration 
in the region and tackling shared challenges."