World News | Guatemala Says US-funded Transit Centres to Receive Applications from Central American Migrants
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. Migrant transit centres financed by the United States will be set up in Guatemala to receive applications from Central American citizens seeking to apply for work visas, family reunifications or refugee status, an official said on Friday.
Guatemala City, Jun 10 (AP) Migrant transit centres financed by the United States will be set up in Guatemala to receive applications from Central American citizens seeking to apply for work visas, family reunifications or refugee status, an official said on Friday.
Both governments have said they will launch a web page Monday on which people will be able to request appointments to apply for entrance to the US.
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The centres are part of a larger migratory strategy aimed at reducing the heavy flow of migrants from Latin American and the Caribbean to the United States.
Applicants with scheduled appointments will be received at offices to be opened in eight places across Guatemala, the official said, who agreed to discuss the plan only if not quoted by name.
The centres will be directed by United Nations Refugee Agency and the International Organisation for Migration during a six-month trial period, the official added.
The plan was revealed after a phone conversation between US Vice President Kamala Harris and Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei in which they agreed to work together to expand legal pathways for migration.
The Biden administration hopes the centres will lead to safer migration.
This comes after the US ended Title 42, an immigration restriction implemented during the pandemic that immediately expelled migrants arriving at the US borders.
The US has also maintained Title 8, which toughens sanctions for those who attempt to cross the border without permission.
The Associated Press requested an interview with Guatemalan Foreign Minister Mario Búcaro to discuss the issue. The Foreign Ministry said he would not meet with journalists until Monday. (AP)
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)