Halting waves of Central American migrants to the United States requires a combination of long-term economic development plus near-term enforcement of border agreements inked earlier this year, acting US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Mark Morgan said in a press release Monday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th February, 2020) Halting waves of Central American migrants to the United States requires a combination of long-term economic development plus near-term enforcement of border agreements inked earlier this year, acting US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Mark Morgan said in a press release Monday.
"The long-term economic prosperity of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras is vital to addressing the flow of illegal migration to the United States," Morgan said on his return from a week-long visit to the region.
Morgan added: "We are actively engaged in these partnerships between nations and they are absolutely essential to strengthen our efforts in the United States to control our borders and uphold the rule of law."
While in the region, Morgan met with ministers and police, immigration and customs agency heads from each of the three Central American nations, the release said.
Under the Border Security Agreements signed earlier this year, the United States will provide training and mentoring to law enforcement and immigration officials to improve the capacity of the three nations to combat migrant trafficking and human smuggling transiting through the region, the release noted.
Apprehensions of illegal border crossers from the three Central American nations have recently slowed to about 10,000 per month in the final three months of 2019 compared with monthly rates exceeding 100,000 each month, according to CBP reports.
