The Trump administration will sign an asylum agreement with Honduras, a senior Homeland Security Department official said Wednesday. The deal follows similar cooperative pacts struck with Guatemala in July and with El Salvador last week.
Trump administration officials contend the agreements will allow the U.S. to return asylum seekers to those countries if the migrants first pass through their territory en route to the U.S.-Mexico border. However, none of the deals has become effective and DHS has not outlined the steps to implementation, as reported by Politico.
The U.S. currently only has a “safe third country” asylum agreement with Canada, although the Trump administration has drafted an interim final rule that would amend federal regulations to allow other deals to go into effect. During a call with reporters Wednesday, a senior DHS official said the agreement with Honduras would help that nation expand its capacity to receive migrants fleeing persecution. A senior DHS official stated:
Our two countries share a long-standing partnership and commitment, bolstered by close proximity, common principles and shared Democratic values.
Democrats, pro-mass immigration advocates, and open border advocates have derided the deals as a mockery of U.S. laws and international treaties meant to protect migrants fleeing persecution in their home countries, still taking no account of how these deals will help ease the crisis at the southern border.
For the full story, please visit Politico.
