Blinken noted in his statement that “transfers under the US-Guatemala Asylum Cooperation Agreement have been suspended since mid-March 2020 due to COVID-19, and the agreements with El Salvador and Honduras have never been implemented.”
Top US diplomat calls for move to suspend asylum cooperation agreements with the three Northern Triangle countries, “the first concrete steps on the road to greater partnership and cooperation in the region set out by President (Joe) Biden . “
“In line with the President’s vision, we have informed the governments of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras that the United States is taking this action, as a co – operative, mutually respectful approach to migration management in to establish the region, “Blinken said in a statement.
“The Biden government believes there are more appropriate ways to work with our partner governments to manage migration in the region,” he said. “The United States will continue to build on our strong relations and support the efforts of these governments to address forced displacement without placing an unnecessary burden on them, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our approach will continue to: support their national action plans, under the comprehensive regional framework for local protection and solutions by international humanitarian partners. ‘
This is a striking story and will be updated.