Official website of the Department of Homeland Security
The Department of Homeland Security announced that Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras have all signed the Asylum Cooperation Agreement (ACA) and all three ACAs have entered into force. This is a historic milestone for the Trump Administration, Central America, and the American people.
On July 24, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security convened a virtual version of the XIII edition of the Meeting of Ministers and Secretaries of Security of Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Panama and the Department of Homeland Security of the United States of America otherwise known as the Regional Security Conference (RSC).
Remarks as Prepared
Today, Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad F. Wolf is traveling to Guatemala City, Guatemala, to participate in the Regional Security Conference Ministerial with Guatemala Minister of Government Enrique Degenhart, Honduras Secretary of Security Julián Pacheco, and El Salvador Minister of Justice and Public Security Rogelio Rivas.
In recognizing the push and pull factors which cause irregular migration to the U.S., DHS has entered into agreements and arrangements with the countries of the northern region of Central America, El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala, to further expand asylum capabilities and improve safety, security, and prosperity throughout the region.
Acting Secretary of Homeland Security, Kevin K. McAleenan, departed Guatemala City last Thursday after engaging in several productive meetings to increase collaboration and partnership across a number of initiatives to confront irregular migration in the Northern Triangle region. During his trip, the Acting Secretary held talks with the President of Guatemala, Jimmy Morales, as well as the Foreign Minister, Sandra Jovel, and the Minister of Government, Enrique Antonio Degenhart, with whom he signed a cooperative agreement regarding the examination of protection claims on July 26, 2019. Acting Secretary McAleenan told President Morales and cabinet members that the U.S. is standing ready to support Guatemala in advancing the agreement.
Tomorrow, Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin K. McAleenan will be traveling to Guatemala City, Guatemala to meet with officials regarding the implementation of a number of initiatives to help stem the flow of irregular migration through Guatemala.
The U.S. Government and the Government of Guatemala continue to make important progress on a comprehensive regional approach to addressing irregular migration patterns. The two countries are currently cooperating on several initiatives to reduce the flow of irregular migration and ensure the safety and protection of vulnerable populations, especially children.
WASHINGTON - Acting Secretary Kevin K. McAleenan traveled to Guatemala this week to attend the sixth Northern Triangle Security Ministerial meeting with Ministers of Security and other high-level security officials from the region. During his visit, the Acting Secretary signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) between the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Guatemalan Ministry of Government to enhance bilateral law enforcement cooperation in an effort to stem the flow of irregular migration. Acting Secretary McAleenan also met with Guatemalan civil society leaders, indigenous leaders, International NGO leadership and small business leaders to gain a deeper understanding of the root causes driving the high rate of migration from the region and targeted solutions to address them.
Acting Secretary Kevin K. McAleenan has formalized an agreement between the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Ministry of Government of Guatemala with the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC). The agreement, which will expand areas of collaboration between the United States and the Northern Triangle country to target human smuggling and trafficking networks, marks the start of the Acting Secretary’s four-day trip to participate in bilateral and multilateral meetings with officials representing the governments of the Northern Triangle countries.
