Biden eases clamps on southern border

WASHINGTON－The administration of US President Joe Biden is withdrawing the United States from agreements with three Central American countries that restricted the ability of people to seek asylum on the southwestern border, part of an effort to undo his Republican predecessor's hard-line immigration policies.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Saturday that the administration had notified El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras that it had started the process of terminating agreements that had been part of former president Donald Trump's effort to restrict asylum.

The agreements, which had been on hold since early in the coronavirus pandemic, required many people seeking asylum at the US-Mexico border to go instead to one of the three Central American countries and pursue their claims there.

"The Biden administration believes there are more suitable ways to work with our partner governments to manage migration across the region," Blinken said, announcing the immediate suspension of the agreements and their eventual termination.

Reduce insecurity

The US intends to work with the Central American countries to reduce some of the insecurity and poverty that cause people to flee in the first place while maintaining the security of the US border, he said.

"To be clear, these actions do not mean that the US border is open. While we are committed to expanding legal pathways for protection and opportunity here and in the region, the United States is a country with borders and laws that must be enforced."

The Trump administration pushed Central American countries to accept the agreements as a way to reduce the number of people seeking asylum in the US. Critics said it amounted to a US retreat from its obligations under international law to help people fleeing persecution since none of the three countries could credibly provide refuge.

Since the start of the pandemic, the US has been quickly expelling nearly everyone apprehended at the border or seeking asylum under a public health law to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Biden had earlier signed a series of executive orders that ended Trump immigration policies or put them under review. He also set up a task force to reunite Central American families forcibly separated at the border under a zero-tolerance program in 2018.

Agencies via Xinhua