Washington – Trump administration is closing down processing office In Latin America, the Biden administration set out to give migrants legal immigration options and prevent them from crossing the southern border illegally, according to internal government documents obtained by CBS News.
Offices established in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Guatemala allowed some immigrants living in or transiting through those countries to apply for programs that would allow them to enter the US legally.
Interior State Department documents said the Trump administration is shutting down operations at those locations, known as “Secure Mobility Initiative” offices, “as part of a broader effort to assess whether How the United States Manages Migration Processes to Serve American National Interests.”
The documents also cited President Trump executive Order It suspended the U.S. refugee admissions program, which allows some people fleeing war and persecution abroad to come to the U.S. after interviews and security and medical screenings.
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First announced in May 2023, the Secure Mobility Offices were regional brick-and-mortar hubs for the US to determine whether migrants qualify for different options to enter the US legally. , including refugee programs, family-based visas, work visas or an immigration visa. The benefit is known as humanitarian parole.
there were some migrants too vetted for rehabilitation In Canada and Spain, because those countries agreed to be part of the US-led initiative.
The Biden administration argued that these legal immigration routes, paired with asylum restrictions, would discourage people in Latin America from trekking to the US border.
CBS News reached out to the State Department for comment.
