BOGOTA - Colombia and the United States will hold a conference in the first quarter of next year to look at measures that would guarantee rights for migrants heading north to the U.S. border, officials from the two countries announced on Friday.
The phenomenon is a problem for the whole region, U.S. Secretary for Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas told journalists in Bogota. "We have to respect the humanitarian rights of individuals seeking shelter and at the same time we also have to abide by the laws of our respective countries," Mayorkas added.
In November a U.S federal judge invalidated a border order known as Title 42, implemented in March 2020, that allowed authorities to quickly remove migrants caught crossing the border without letting them apply for asylum.
Our immigration laws were not meant to deal with mass migration nor should they. If Columbia is having issues that are causing their citizens to leave, then let’s discuss how to resolve that.