U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a meeting in Washington on Wednesday with senior officials from Mexico and Guatemala to discuss managing irregular migration, displacement and expanding legal immigration pathways in the Western Hemisphere.
Blinken was joined by Guatemalan Foreign Minister Carlos Ramiro Martinez, Guatemalan Interior Minister Francisco José Jiménez Ilungare and Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Bárcena Ibarra .
The three delegations agreed on the urgent need to address the root causes of irregular migration, expand more legal pathways to the United States, and establish a United States, Mexico, and Guatemala “action group” to jointly address migration issues.
“We are really here to redouble our cooperation in dealing with migration flows. We know that we are all living in a truly historic time. Across the world, there are more people on the move than at any time in history and, of course, in our The same goes for your own hemisphere,” Blinken said.
Guatemala will also host the next Los Angeles Declaration on Immigration and Protection Ministerial Conference in April. Martinez said they don’t see immigration as a problem, but as a phenomenon.
“We believe that behind this there is of course a fundamental mission of the Guatemalan state. We are the first ones who must manage the needs of our people. We must create and provide opportunities so that our people will not emigrate and that Guatemalans who seek opportunities will The flows no longer continue to grow. Therefore, the first task is that of the Guatemalan state,” Martinez said.
The largest numbers of migrants currently encountered by border officials on the southwest border are Mexican and Guatemalan nationals, a U.S. official told reporters on Tuesday.
The official added that the United States looks forward to deepening trilateral efforts and expanding legal pathways, including labor immigration.
“One of our most successful Legal Pathway initiatives was when we issued more than 442,000 visas to temporary and seasonal workers in 2023. Those who work here through the Labor Pathway contribute to the U.S. economy and send money back home to support friends and family and investing in their futures,” the U.S. official said.
Earlier this year, U.S. and Mexican officials met and set goals to keep migrant numbers consistent, crack down on human smuggling and develop plans to stop migrants from crossing Panama’s dangerous Darien Gorge.
The meetings come as the Biden administration considers a crackdown on asylum seekers who arrived in record numbers at the U.S.-Mexico border in December. That number fell 41% in January.
“The arduous path that immigrants from our continent take to the north in search of better and more life opportunities is extraordinary. … These geographies mean that, as a country, we face most of the cycles of the migration process. Guatemala and Mexico is the point of origin, transit, destination and return,” Barcelona said.
Immigration has become one of the major issues in this year’s presidential election. Former President Donald Trump, who is likely to face off against President Joe Biden in November, has promised stronger action.
Biden is now set to travel to Brownsville, Texas, on Thursday. Trump will also travel to Eagle Pass, Texas, which also borders Mexico.
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