The US confirms contacts with Spain on the migratory problem in Central America and praises its help

MADRID, 7 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Joe Biden Administration maintains contacts with Spain to address the migratory problem in Central America and how to deal with it, White House sources have acknowledged, who however have not wanted to confirm an eventual agreement for the resettlement of Central American refugees from the United States to territory Spanish.

Last week the news portal Axios revealed that the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, was going to sign said agreement during his attendance as a guest at the Summit of the Americas this week, during which the migration issue will be central on the agenda. .

According to the documents to which this medium had access, Spain would be willing to receive a "modest" figure, although "symbolically important" of Central American refugees. Likewise, the Spanish Government would also be willing to accept doubling or even tripling the number of temporary workers who come to Spain from Central America by virtue of specific agreements with their countries of origin, such as the one that already exists with Honduras.

Foreign sources consulted by Europa Press did not confirm this point, nor did the State Department. Now, senior White House officials have also avoided confirming the information from Axios, which also pointed to agreements on immigration with Canada, although they have acknowledged contacts.

"There will be additional announcements during the week on migration," sources have limited themselves to saying during a briefing on the agenda that Vice President Kamala Harris will maintain during the summit, to whom Biden has entrusted the problem of Central American migration, which has In general, the final destination is the United States.

The sources have assured that there have been "deep conversations" on this issue both with the countries of the region and "with some external partners such as Spain, which has been really useful both in terms of the root causes of the issue of Central America as potentially on migration".

The eventual agreement would have been discussed during the first meeting of the Spain-US Working Group on Central America that took place on May 25 and was chaired by the Secretary of State for Ibero-America and the Caribbean, Juan Fernández Trigo, and the Undersecretary of State Deputy for US Western Hemisphere Affairs, Emily Mendrala.

In their joint statement, the two countries said that they had "studyed proposals and actions to address jointly and with the countries of the region the challenges posed by forced displacement and irregular migratory movements in and from Central America," for which the resettlement agreement could fit within such proposals.