Only 8% of the more than 60 thousand people who registered with the safe mobility centers in Colombia, Guatemala and Costa Rica, an initiative of the UNITED STATES government, were referred to the North American country’s refugee program.
Specifically, 2,400 people registered with the Office for Safe Mobility in Guatemala, 1,150 in Colombia and 1,250 in Costa Rica have been transferred to the United States for “possible relocation,” the head of the Office of Population announced on Monday. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Refugees and Migration, Marta Juventude, in a telephone conversation with journalists.
Young people did not provide information about how many of these people were actually admitted into the United States as refugees.
He highlighted that three Venezuelan families transferred from central Colombia have already arrived in the United States.
“It took us a while to get going (…) but there is much more to come and much more to come,” the official told reporters.
Youth also explained that the US was “evaluating” 7,850 of the people registered in these centers for “other legal options” for migration, such as the humanitarian clearance available to Cuban citizens. Nicaragua and Venezuela, as well as temporary work visas.
On the other hand, he explained that 281 people who had registered in Costa Rica had been “referred to Costa Rica for resettlement.” Spain”.
The center that has received the most applications so far, according to data from the responsible on October 17, is the center of Colombia, with 43,600 applicants, followed by the center of Costa Rica, with 32,000 applications and finally the center of Guatemala, with 14 thousand 50 .
Registration for the program is done via a website and, depending on the country, is only possible for certain nationalities.
In Colombia you can register people from Venezuela, Haiti and Cuba; Registration is possible in Guatemala for nationals of that country and in Costa Rica for Venezuelans and Nicaraguans.
The Safe Mobility Program, which was announced by the US government in April this year, is part of the Joe Biden administration’s efforts to discourage overland migration to the United States.
However, the number of arrests of migrants trying to cross the border illegally in Mexico has increased in the past three months.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials, U.S. authorities arrested more than 210,000 people at the border with Mexico in September alone.
At the same time, passenger traffic via the Selva del Darien between Panama and Colombia expanded and reached historic numbers. According to Panama’s National Migration Service and Ministry of Public Security, 400,000 people have crossed this dangerous natural border so far this year, with more than 2,000 people per day in September.
Source: La Neta Neta
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
