The United States government announced on Friday that it will accept referrals of Haitian, Cuban, Venezuelan, and Nicaraguan nationals from Mexico for potential resettlement in the United States as refugees.
Mexico announced earlier this week that it will establish a service center offering employment and resettlement to citizens of the aforementioned four nations. It was stated that the facility will be on the southern frontier with Guatemala, but neither its location nor opening date were specified.
When the U.S. government began requiring asylum claimants to register online or in their home countries, many had already begun the journey to the U.S. border, leaving them isolated in Mexico. This population is intended to be served by the Mexican facility.
We are announcing our entire support for an international multipurpose space that the Mexican government intends to establish in southern Mexico to offer new refugee and labor options to the most vulnerable people in Mexico, according to a spokesperson for the State Department.
U.S. to Accept Refugee Referrals for Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan Individuals in Mexico
U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan stated that the United States will accept refugee resettlement referrals from qualified Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan individuals who are already in Mexico.
He did not specify how referrals would function or how many would be accepted. Up to 30,000 individuals per month from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela will be granted parole for two years if they apply online with a financial sponsor and arrive at an airport. It was unclear whether Mexico-accepted referrals would require a financial sponsor.
The Foreign Relations Department of Mexico issued a statement on Wednesday stating that the new center “would provide refugee services and employment opportunities to connect migrants with the large projects being constructed in the south southeast.” In this region, Mexico is constructing a tourist railway line, a series of industrial parks, an oil refinery, and other projects.
Mexico has also exerted pressure on the United States to help finance two Mexican programs that it wants to expand into Central America. One pays producers to plant and care for trees, while the other provides job training and apprenticeships for juveniles.
The United States has consented to contribute $40 million to this initiative in El Salvador, Honduras, Belize, Guatemala, Cuba, and Ecuador, Mexico announced on Wednesday. The U.S. government has physically prevented migrants from claiming asylum at land crossings with Mexico unless they have a CBP One app appointment.
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Source: AP News
