May 3, 2023

The Biden Administration announced a five-point agreement with Mexico on additional measures to address migration along their shared border, under which: (1) the United States intends to welcome as many as 100,000 individuals from Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador under the family reunification parole processes that Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas announced last week, which will allow nationals from these countries to enter the U.S. if they have family members in the country; (2) the U.S. committed to continue welcoming individuals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela under the already established parole process for these countries, while Mexico has agreed to continue to accept migrants who are rejected at the southern border; (3) the U.S. and Mexico committed to enhancing efforts in Central America to address the root causes of migration and expand legal pathways; (4) the U.S. and Mexico will increase joint actions to counter human smugglers and traffickers that exploit migrants, further expanding a campaign to counter human smuggling with Colombia and Panama; and (5) the U.S. and Mexico agreed to expand the Calexico East Land Port of Entry along the southern border between California and Mexico.

In addition, the U.S. announced a trilateral agreement on migration from Latin America with Spain and Canada that is focused on: (1) promoting and expanding regular labor migration opportunities, including through “circular” or temporary labor mobility; (2) strengthening the capacity of national governments to fairly and ethically recruit, vet, and support eligible workers to employment abroad; and (3) increasing protections for and awareness of workers’ rights.

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