Italy and Greece are set to welcome some of the Latin American asylum-seekers currently applying for asylum at US outposts in the region, as reported by CBS News. Last year, the US Department of Homeland Security established “Safe Mobility Offices” (SMO) in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Guatemala to enable legal immigration and reduce illegal border crossings. So far, Spain and Canada have agreed to take in some migrants under this initiative.
Greece and Italy are expected to accept around 500 or fewer migrants each, although the official announcement of this arrangement is pending. While diplomatic discussions are ongoing with other countries to expand lawful pathways for resettlement, the Greek and Italian governments have not commented on the matter. These countries, along with Spain, have been grappling with the influx of migrants from Africa and the Middle East seeking refuge and social services in the EU.
The SMOs have significantly increased the number of refugees resettled from the Western Hemisphere, leading to the processing of approximately 10,000 migrants through the Refugee Admissions Program. Each SMO office has specific rules on who can apply, based on nationality. This development comes amidst a surge in illegal border crossings in the US following the repeal of previous immigration policies by President Joe Biden, who criticized the former restrictions as “inhumane.”\
Source link