On May 7, 2024, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken announced "$578 million in humanitarian, development, and economic assistance to support partner countries and help communities to respond to urgent humanitarian needs, expand lawful pathways, and support the regularization and integration of migrants during the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection Ministerial in Guatemala City.
Of that, nearly $459 million in additional humanitarian assistance responds to the needs of refugees, vulnerable migrants, and other displaced persons across the Western Hemisphere, as well as support for the Safe Mobility Initiative (SMOs). This life-saving assistance from the American people includes more than $376 million through the Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) and nearly $83 million through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). This brings the total U.S. humanitarian assistance for the Western Hemisphere to more than $3.9 billion since fiscal year 2021.
"The United States is proud to be the largest single donor of humanitarian assistance for the Western Hemisphere and strongly supports engagement with international organizations, civil society, the private sector, multilateral development banks, and think tanks in the important work under the Declaration. Through collaborative efforts with partners, we are reducing irregular migration and improving the lives of millions of people throughout the Western Hemisphere."
"The assistance announced in Guatemala advances the goals of the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection and will address humanitarian needs arising from historic levels of displacement, with more than 22 million people displaced across the region, including more than 7.7 million Venezuelans."
"Humanitarian assistance announced at the Ministerial includes:
- Assistance provided through international organization partners to support the most vulnerable refugees and migrants and their host communities’ critical needs.
- Support through international organization partners as they work with governments around the region to regularize and integrate migrants and refugees.
- Funding for the Safe Mobility Initiative to expand access to lawful pathways for refugees and migrants across the region.
- Capacity building programs to help governments in the region adopt, manage, and sustain immigration systems, laws, policies, and practices."
"This humanitarian assistance complements the efforts of generous host communities in Argentina, Aruba, Belize, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Curacao, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, and Venezuela."
