The U.S. Department of State (DOS) convened a trilateral Migration Ministerial with Guatemala and Mexico in Washington D.C. The meeting, hosted by Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, aimed to establish common strategies to address migration issues from both countries and create more legal pathways for migrants to enter the U.S.
According to a DOS news release, Mexican Foreign Secretary Alicia Barcena and Guatemalan Foreign Minister Carlos Martinez joined Blinken at the meeting. They were accompanied by several U.S. officials including Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, Homeland Security Advisor Liz Sherwood-Randall, Deputy Secretary for Management and Resources Richard Verma, and USAID Deputy Administrator Isobel Coleman.
The news release further states that Mexican and Guatemalan nationals constitute two of the largest groups of migrants encountered by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents at the southwest border. The ministerial was conducted with an aim to enhance bilateral relations with Guatemala's government under President Bernardo Arévalo who took office in January. Arévalo has pledged to combat corruption and address border security and migration issues.
Blinken said during the meeting, "Today we are really here to double down on the collaboration that we have in dealing with migration flows." He added, "We know that all of us are living in what is genuinely a historic time – around the world, more people on the move than at any time in recorded history, and the same is true of course in our own hemisphere. We have a shared commitment to safe, orderly, humane migration, and we want to make sure that the work that we are doing continues to move us in that direction."
The news release indicated that the meeting focused on four key objectives: understanding why irregular migration from Guatemala occurs; expanding legal pathways for migrants into the U.S.; strengthening joint commitments to manage irregular migration flows; and coordinating future ministerial-level meetings related to migration.
