Leaders at Americas summit eye plan to manage impact of migration

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during the ninth Summit of the Americas, in Los Angeles, California, U.S. June 8, 2022. REUTERS/Lauren Justice/File Photo

LOS ANGELES — Leaders attending the Summit of the Americas are poised to issue a declaration pledging measures to curb illegal migration and help countries receiving large number of migrants to cope with them, according to a draft document seen by Reuters on Thursday.

The document, which was dated both June 6 and June 7, included commitments to work on convening banks to review their financial instruments for migrant-hosting countries, as well as improving migrants’ access to public and private services.

It also lists pledges by Western Hemisphere countries to work together to boost regional law enforcement cooperation, information sharing and visa regimes, while attempting to strengthen and expand temporary labor opportunities.

The White House and the State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment on whether the draft was final.

A government official from a country at the U.S.-hosted summit said the migration pledges and all the other declarations had been approved by the participating countries on Wednesday.

U.S. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, took office in January 2021 pledging to reverse many of the hardline immigration policies of his Republican predecessor, Donald Trump. But he has struggled to contain record numbers of border crossings.

Immigration has been high on the agenda at the summit in Los Angeles. However, the absence of leaders from Mexico and other countries that send many migrants north has raised questions about how much progress would be made on it.

Washington chose to exclude Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua from the summit, prompting some leaders to stay away.

In recent months, the Biden administration has sought to portray migration as a challenge for all of the Americas, calling on other countries to strengthen protection systems for migrants and expand their access to legal pathways.

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