The Obama administration announced Tuesday that it will speed up the process of screening refugee applicants from Central America, and allow more people from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador to seek safety in the United States.
The changes are a response to the flood of Central Americans who have sought entry, legally and illegally, into the U.S. in unprecedented numbers since 2014. Parents began sending their underage children alone, creating a crisis on the southern U.S. border where Customs and Border Protection facilities were overflowing with unaccompanied children.
The agreements announced Tuesday are aimed at trying to stop people from trying to cross into the U.S. illegally.
Specifically, the State Department said Costa Rica reached an agreement with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees that will let it act as a transfer point for eligible refugees. The U.S. will pre-screen possible refugees from the three countries, and eligible candidates will be moved to Costa Rica for further processing.
In the same statement, the administration said it was expanding the Central American Minors program, which is aimed at giving children from the three Central American nations an alternative to trying to cross the border on foot.
The current program allows lawfully present parents in the U.S. to request refugee status for their children in one of the three countries. The department said the program has received more than 9,500 applications so far.
It also said others would now be considered for the program when accompanied by a qualified child. Those are the children of U.S.-based parents who are over 21 years old, caregivers, and the biological parents of a qualified child.
“All of these have the goal of protecting Central Americans at risk while providing an orderly and safe resettlement here in the United States,” White House spokesman Eric Schultz explained on Tuesday.
