LOS ANGELES, June 10 (Reuters) – US President Joe Biden and fellow Western Hemisphere leaders unveiled a new set of measures Friday to tackle the regional migration crisis in a bid to save a North and South American summit. from division.
Biden’s aides cited the Migration Declaration as a central part of a US-organized summit in North and South America, and 20 countries joined in to unveil the plan – although several others stayed away.
At the end of the last day of the summit, the White House promoted a series of programs for migrants agreed between the hemisphere and Spain, attending as an observer, which promised an approach to greater cooperation. But analysts were skeptical that the promises were meaningful enough to make a significant difference.
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These measures include the commitment of the United States and Canada to accept more migrant workers, provide roads for people from poorer countries to work in richer ones, and other countries agree to greater protection for migrants. Mexico will also accept more workers from Central America, according to a White House statement.
“We are transforming our approach to managing migration in North and South America,” Biden said. “Each of us signs commitments that acknowledge the challenges we all share.”
The flags of 20 countries, slightly fewer than those present at the summit, graced the stage where Biden hosted the performance. But that number was reached only after days of pressure from the United States.
It was another sign of tension that overshadowed the summit, undermining Biden’s efforts to restore US leadership and counter China’s growing economic footprint in the region.
The message was overshadowed by a boycott by several leaders, including the Mexican president, in protest of the exclusion from Washington of left-wing US antagonists Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua. The composition was diluted to 21 visiting heads of state and government.
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The announcements were part of the unveiling of a US-led pact called the Los Angeles Declaration, aimed at spreading responsibility in the region to curb the migration problem.
The plan culminates in a summit designed to restore US influence among its southern neighbors after years of relative neglect under former President Donald Trump. Biden has offered an economic partnership to help recover from the region’s pandemic – although it appears to be underway.
But at the opening of Thursday’s summit, leaders in Argentina and Little Belize blamed Biden for the guest list, stressing the challenge facing the world’s superpower in regaining its status among its poorer neighbors.
Chile, Bolivia, the Bahamas, Saint Lucia, Barbados and Antigua and Barbuda joined in the criticism on Friday, but Biden was not present.
“No one should exclude another country,” said Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, occupying President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
US President Joe Biden, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, Colombian President Ivan Duque and other heads of delegation pose for a family photo during the Ninth American Summit in Los Angeles, California, USA, June 10, 2022. REUTERS / Mike Blake
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This week’s sessions were regularly featured in the march “The Liberty Bell” by American composer John Philip Souza, promoted by the classic British comedy show “Monty Python’s Flying Circus”.
‘THERE’S NOTHING’
U.S. officials fought to the last minute to persuade skeptical governments to support the plan.
The leaders pledged in the declaration “to step up national, regional and hemispherical efforts to create conditions for safe, orderly, humane and regular migration.”
Together with his fellow leaders, Biden insisted that “illegal migration is not acceptable” and expressed hope that other countries would join the plan.
Eric Olson, director of policy at the Seattle International Foundation, called the declaration a “useful framework” but said it was likely to have limited short-term effects because it was non-binding.
Some of the initiatives listed by the White House were announced earlier. Biden’s aides implemented the immigration plan in part to help alleviate labor shortages in the United States.
Jorge Castaneda, a former Mexican foreign minister, said promises from North and South America should allow Washington to argue that it has secured major commitments, an internal “political plus” for Biden. But he added: “There is essentially nothing here.”
Mexico, whose border with the United States is the main point of migration, backed the declaration, despite the absence of Lopez Obrador.
The absence of the summit of the leaders of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador – the Northern Triangle, from which many migrants come – has raised doubts about how effective the promises will be. U.S. officials have insisted that turnout has not prevented Washington from achieving results.
The declaration covers commitments from a number of countries, including Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica, Belize and Ecuador. However, there is no mention of the promises of Brazil, the most populous nation in Latin America.
The announcement does not include any promises from the United States for additional work visas for Mexicans. This will be part of Lopez Obrador’s visit to Biden next month, an official said.
Spain has promised to “double the number of jobs” for Hondurans, the White House said. Madrid’s temporary work program includes 250 Honduran residents, suggesting only a small increase.
Reducing illegal migration is a priority for Biden. Republicans seeking to regain control of Congress in the November election have condemned the Democratic president for reversing Republican Trump’s restrictive immigration policy.
But migration had to compete with Biden’s other major challenges, including high inflation, mass shootings and the war in Ukraine.
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Report by Humeira Pamuk, Dina Beth Solomon, Dave Graham, Matt Spetalnik, Trevor Hunick, Lisanda Paraguasu and Ted Hesson; writing by Matt Spetalnik; Edited by Jonathan Oatis, Alistair Bell and Grant McCool
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