According to CBS News, the Biden administration intends to submit some migrants from Latin America for resettlement in southern European countries as part of another effort to discourage people from crossing the US-Mexico border.
The initiative would include Greece and Italy welcoming migrants processed at immigration offices set up by the Biden administration last year in four Latin American countries. Officially known as Safe Mobility Offices, they screen migrants seeking to enter the United States.
The centers allow certain migrants from Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Guatemala to apply for legal entry into the United States or other countries. Under the new agreement, Greece and Italy would join Canada and Spain in resettling some of those processed at the offices.
According to one of the sources of CBS News, Italy and Greece will likely accept a small number of migrants, around 500 or fewer each.
Strangely enough, Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told a television program on Sunday that Italian-run migrant centers in Albania will be operational soon where they send migrant whose asylum applications will be processed there.
Outsourcing Migration Worldwide?
According to internal Department of Homeland Security documents, U.S. officials met with diplomats from Canada, Italy, Spain, and the countries hosting Safe Mobility Offices on May 20 to discuss the initiative. In an interview with CBS News last week, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas appeared to refer to the agreement with Greece.
“We work with Canada, Spain, and just recently, Greece, to build lawful pathways for individuals to arrive in their countries, out of the hands of smugglers who just seek to exploit these individuals for profit,” Mayorkas stated.
The plans to divert some Latin American migrants to Greece and Italy highlight an increasing trend among the United States and other Western countries to manage intensifying global migration crises through international agreements.
The problem is that Italy and Greece have also struggled with large influxes of migrants over the last decade. The migration crises in both European countries have upended their politics and highlighted the often fatal nature of Mediterranean Sea journeys.
Still, Greece and Italy are frequently transit countries for migrants seeking to settle elsewhere in Europe. Both countries have aging populations and significant labor shortages, which encourages them to resettle foreign workers.
Unlawful crossings at the US-Mexico border fell by more than 50 per cent in May compared to the record high reported in December, a trend that administration officials attribute to their policies and Mexican officials’ efforts to deter migrants from traveling north. To mitigate a potential surge in migration, President Biden is preparing to issue an executive order as early as next week that would prohibit most asylum claims when illegal crossings increase.
