New Immigration Initiatives Promise Improvements In U.S. Migration From Southern Countries

The U.S. government has just announced sweeping new actions to manage regional migration. The Department of State and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) unveiled measures to reduce unlawful migration across the Western Hemisphere, expand lawful pathways for protection, and facilitate the safe, orderly, and humane processing of migrants. In this new approach, the U.S. government recognizes that migration is a regional challenge that cannot be managed alone and requires work with partners to create a more comprehensive and effective approach.

New Pathways To Immigration

In its announcement, the U.S. government encourages individuals to use new lawful pathways that it has implemented over the past two years. These include: 1) The CBPOne App that will enable migrants located in Central and Northern Mexico to schedule an appointment to present themselves at a port of entry rather than trying to enter between ports; 2) The new family reunification parole processes for El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Colombia that will allow vetted individuals with already approved family-based petitions to be paroled into the United States on a case-by-case basis; and 3) The United States will also commit to welcoming thousands of additional refugees per month from the Western Hemisphere – with the goal of doubling the number of refugees to the United States.