The International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) assured Friday that the new application system proposed by the United States States and Mexico for the entry of displaced Venezuelans into US territory is an “encouraging development” to facilitate “safe migration”.
Thus, they stressed that they were awaiting “more details” on the implementation of this new measure, while stressing that these channels “can be essential in providing alternatives to irregular and dangerous movements and an effective means of promoting a equitable division of property”. responsibilities.”
“Access to safe territory for asylum seekers is a cornerstone of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and international refugee law,” the organizations said in a joint statement.
Despite this, the IOM, UNHCR and UNICEF said they remained “deeply concerned” about the “continued” restrictions on access to asylum for people of different nationalities under Title 42.
In doing so, they called on the parties to “urgently” end this provision, as many people “subject to these measures since March 2020 have been sent to border communities with significant security concerns, support networks and inadequate accommodation capacity, making their return to Mexico dangerous and unsustainable.
Title 42 is a public health provision imposed by the previous US administration, chaired by Donald Trump, which authorizes the collective deportation of any migrant and asylum seeker who attempts to cross US land borders without an individual assessment of their situation and of their protection needs.
Under the immigration agreement signed between the parties, the United States will issue 24,000 work visas annually to Venezuelans arriving in the country by air to join the American labor market, for which they will have a period of two year. In addition, Washington will be able to deport Venezuelans who have entered the country illegally to Mexico.
On the other hand, Mexico will receive 65,000 visas for temporary non-agricultural workers, of which 20,000 will be for people from Central America and Haiti. The rest will be reserved for citizens of Venezuelan origin.
