Kerry did not say how many more refugees would be allowed in on top of this increase, nor when the process will begin.
Advertisement
The United Nations will help the US government set up processing centers in Latin America to stop refugees from coming to the nation’s southwestern border.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced plans on Wednesday to expand the Refugee Admissions Program to help people fleeing violence in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. According to The Washington Post, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is planning to deport immigrants who illegally entered the USA during a surge in border crossings in 2014.
Many people from these countries, said Kerry, had been “tempted” to begin risky journeys that made them “easy prey” for human smugglers and traffickers.
The program envisions moving applicants into safe zones to await processing.
It’s not the first time the administration has announced a measure for processing Central American refugees in their countries of origin.
The flow of Central American children and families declined during the 2015 budget year, but border agents have noted significant rise in the numbers of immigrants from both groups in recent months.
Vice President Joe Biden was scheduled Thursday to discuss the migrant problem at a meeting with the presidents of El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala in that country’s capital, where he is slated to attend the inauguration of the new president, Jimmy Morales.
The presidential determination, citing the Migration and Refugee Assistance Act of 1962, comes as the administration plans to take in about 10,000 Syrian refugees, but the funding authorization is not specific to Syrian refugees.
Just hours before Mr Obama’s final State of the Union address on Tuesday, more than 140 House Democrats signed a letter urging the administration to halt the raids.
While not specified in Kerry’s speech, the New York Times reports the expanded program will seek out the expertise of the United Nations refugee agency to help screen candidates for eligibility.
Advertisement
“We will collaborate with UNHCR and its NGO partners to identify persons in need of refugee protection: people targeted by criminal gangs, human rights defenders who have been targeted, and others”, it said in a fact sheet issued after Kerry had spoken.
