Fourth Ministerial Meeting on LA Migration Declaration

On June 10, 2022, President Biden launched the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection with leaders from across the Western Hemisphere to tackle together the challenge of migration and forced displacement. Under this framework, the United States has worked with partner countries to collaboratively reduce irregular migration and advance a safe, humane, and orderly approach to migration across the hemisphere. Over the last two years, the 22 endorsing countries have achieved substantial progress across the Los Angeles Declaration's three core pillars:

1. addressing root causes and supporting the integration of migrants to foster long-term stabilization;
2. expanding lawful pathways for migration and protection; and
3. strengthening humane enforcement.

On September 25, 2024, Secretary of State Antony Blinken hosted the fourth Los Angeles Declaration Ministerial with White House Homeland Security Advisor Dr. Liz Sherwood-Randall, White House Coordinator for the Los Angeles Declaration Marcela Escobari, and foreign ministers and senior representatives from the other 21 endorsing countries.

On behalf of the United States, Secretary Blinken announced more than $686 million in new humanitarian, development, economic, and security assistance to support partner countries to respond to urgent humanitarian needs, strengthen humane enforcement efforts, expand lawful pathways, and facilitate the regularization and integration of migrants within the region. With this announcement, the United States has now committed over $1.2 billion under the Los Angeles Declaration framework in 2024 alone, reflecting the Biden-Harris Administration's unwavering commitment to collaboratively addressing this hemispheric challenge.

The United States also announced expanded enforcement partnerships to deter irregular migration, including a removal pilot program with the Government of Panama and new visa restrictions against travel agencies and tour operators that prey on vulnerable migrants. These actions aim to hold accountable those who exploit migrants for profit and to dissuade migrants from attempting dangerous irregular journeys.

Endorsing countries agreed to further institutionalize the Los Angeles Declaration through the establishment of a Secretariat, which will be managed by the Pan American Development Foundation and the Organization of American States and will ensure that coordinated progress on migration management is sustained into the future under this framework. The Government of Colombia formally announced that it will assume the role of rotating Country Chair over the next year and will host the fifth Los Angeles Declaration Ministerial in 2025.

The endorsing countries presented progress toward their commitments under the Los Angeles Declaration and announced the following new initiatives:

Strengthening Humane Enforcement

• On June 4, 2024, President Biden announced executive actions to bar migrants who cross the U.S. Southern border unlawfully from receiving asylum during times when high levels of encounters exceed our ability to deliver timely consequences. Since June 4, encounters between ports of entry have dropped by more than 50% and remain at their lowest level in years. Encounters in July and August 2024 dropped to the lowest levels since September 2020.
• Panama is implementing a U.S.-funded removal program that has resulted in the removal of hundreds of foreign nationals who did not have a lawful basis to remain in Panama, after they were screened for protection needs.
• The United States continues to take steps to impose visa restrictions on executives of travel agencies and charter air and maritime transportation companies around the globe that are facilitating irregular migration to the United States. On September 24, 2024, the State Department imposed additional visa restrictions against multiple executives of travel agencies operating in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East that are knowingly facilitating illegal migration.
• Partner countries reaffirmed their commitment to stem extracontinental irregular migration through the strategic use of entry and transit visas and passenger vetting. In total, Los Angeles Declaration endorsing countries have taken over 300 new visa policy actions to restrict travel intended solely for irregular migration.
• The United States has mobilized resources to increase investigations, arrests, and prosecutions of human smuggling and trafficking networks, including in partnerships with other Los Angeles Declaration countries. In August, for example, Guatemalan law enforcement-in an investigation supported by the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security- dismantled a human smuggling network based in Guatemala that was responsible for the deaths of 53 migrants in a tractor-trailer in San Antonio, Texas in June 2022.
• Under the Biden-Harris Administration, the United States has sanctioned eight human smuggling networks, including over 30 individuals and entities, to hold accountable those responsible for the exploitation of migrants. On September 24, 2024, for example, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned five Colombian nationals and two Mexican-based businesses, including two individuals affiliated with the Clan del Golfo transnational criminal organization, who are responsible for the control of migrant flows through the Darien Gap. Colombian authorities are offering a reward of 50 million Colombian pesos for the capture of both wanted criminals.
• The United States has enhanced biometric sharing capabilities throughout the region, enabling law enforcement actions against criminal actors before they enter any of our countries. Guatemala, with support from the United States, announced a new biometric program at La Aurora International Airport to cross-reference travelers with U.S. security databases in near-real time in order to identify high-risk arriving passengers.

Expanding Lawful Pathways for Migration and Protection

• The Biden-Harris Administration has rebuilt the United States' refugee resettlement program and led a historic expansion of lawful pathways to the United States and partner countries. The United States is now on track to welcome 100,000 refugees from around the world this fiscal year, the largest number in three decades.
• Under the U.S. Government's Safe Mobility Initiative, over 23,000 refugees from within the Western Hemisphere have been resettled safely and legally in the United States in Fiscal Year 2024, a four-fold increase over FY 2023.
• The United States is incorporating Labor Neighbors as part of the Safe Mobility Initiative to refer migrants to more lawful pathways and help match labor demand to labor supply across the hemisphere.
• Belize announced it is establishing a seasonal migrant worker program focused on agriculture and construction.
• Canada seeks to support labor mobility through its Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot.
• Ecuador is launching a new labor mobility unit with U.S. support.
• As part of the Safe Mobility Initiative, the United States continues to provide migrants and displaced persons with information and resources though the Safe Mobility Offices in Guatemala, Costa Rica, Colombia, and Ecuador.
• Costa Rica and the United States announced that the Safe Mobility Offices in Costa Rica will be extended until December 2025. Costa Rica will also expand eligibility criteria to include nationals from eligible countries who were present in Costa Rica on or before September 15, 2024.
• Canada began receiving referrals from the Safe Mobility Offices in the hemisphere and expects arrivals to Canada starting in 2025.
• The Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela (CHNV) parole processes have helped reduce irregular flows from these four countries, enabling migrants to apply from where they are for lawful entry to the United States.

Addressing Root Causes and Supporting the Integration of Migrants to Foster Long-term Stabilization

• A significant portion of the United States' $686 million in new funding announced on September 25, 2024 will support regional efforts to respond to urgent humanitarian needs, like basic food, shelter, and health care for migrants and displaced persons, including nearly 8 million Venezuelans. U.S. funding also supports regional partners' efforts to absorb and integrate migrants, promoting migrants' financial inclusion and labor market insertion, and supporting host communities.
• More than half of Los Angeles Declaration endorsing countries have implemented policies that provide regular status and help migrants integrate and rebuild their lives in Latin America and the Caribbean, stemming further displacement and reducing migrant vulnerability. Their combined efforts have enabled 4.4 million Venezuelans to attain legal status to date. The following countries took new actions since May to provide regular status and help integrate more migrants:
• Argentina announced a special admission and regularization program that allows Venezuelans with expired identity documents (within the last 10 years) to seek residency in Argentina, and to verify identity or criminal record through a sworn statement in the absence of documents.
• Canada announced a new Francophone minority community student program that will give program participants access to settlement services while they are studying to help them integrate successfully into their communities.
• Colombia announced the signing of a regularization plan that could benefit an estimated 600,000 undocumented parents and legal guardians of children with valid Colombian Temporary Protective Status.
• Ecuador extended its regularization process until April 2025, allowing approximately 100,000 Venezuelan migrants to gain legal status. Separately, Ecuador committed to renew nearly 95,000 two-year visas previously issued to regularized Venezuelans. As part of the U.S. funding announcement, the U.S. is helping Ecuador unlock additional World Bank lending to support Ecuador's Social Safety Net project that contributes to stabilizing and integrating the 450,000 Venezuelan migrants currently in the country.
• Mexico committed to opening a Multi-Purpose Processing Center in Chiapas to streamline the processing of migrants seeking refuge and to provide them integration support through access to financial, health, and education services.
• Panama announced the intent to begin a process that would allow migrants currently living in Panama irregularly to apply for legal status and obtain work authorizations.
• Peru, working closely with United Nations implementing agencies, announced plans to prioritize documenting migrant children and adolescents in the public education system. Through these efforts, Peru will provide protection and basic services to minors and their families.
• Uruguay approved two decrees to grant legal status to approximately 25,500 non-citizens living in Uruguay with pending asylum claims who likely would not qualify for asylum.