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Two years ago, in response to the historic challenge of migration and forced displacement in the Western Hemisphere, President Joe Biden launched the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection alongside 20 other leaders from across the Western Hemisphere. This initiative reflects President Biden's recognition that migration is a regional challenge that can only be addressed through collaboration among countries across the hemisphere.
On May 7, I traveled with Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Guatemala to join our now-21 partner countries for the third LA Declaration Ministerial. As we mark the Declaration's second anniversary, I'm struck by our collective achievements in robustly enforcing borders in the region and ensuring safe, orderly, and regular migration management. Together, we are deterring irregular migration and cracking down on smugglers and traffickers, while establishing safe and legal pathways to the United States and other countries.
Under the Declaration framework, countries throughout the region have resettled and integrated nearly 8 million migrants who fled Venezuela, offering many of them an alternative to taking the risky journey north. Colombia has led the way, with its 10-year temporary residency status for over 2 million Venezuelans—a policy it expanded at the ministerial in Guatemala. Ecuador announced a new regularization program allowing migrants to obtain temporary resident visas, enhancing their ability to contribute to host communities. Brazil, Peru, Belize, and Uruguay have established lawful residency programs for migrants to put down roots, enroll their kids in school, and access job opportunities.
These policies limit opportunities for traffickers and smugglers and reduce irregular migration to the U.S. border, as those with legal status are far less likely to traverse the dangerous Darien Gap. A recent International Organization for Migration study found that Venezuelan migrants contributed almost $600 million to the Colombian economy in 2022. The United States supports its Latin American and Caribbean partners by providing funding and technical assistance to help them implement these ambitious policies.
The Biden-Harris administration also made a historic investment in tackling the root causes of migration: poverty, lack of economic opportunity, crime, and corruption. Under the leadership of Vice President Kamala Harris, the administration's Root Causes Strategy has helped create and sustain over 250,000 jobs and kept half a million children in school. These efforts correspond with a 30 percent decrease in the number of migrants from Central America arriving at the U.S. border from 2021 to 2023.
The United States has joined our partners in establishing pathways for individuals to migrate legally and contribute to American communities. President Biden rebuilt our refugee resettlement system and pioneered new initiatives, like Welcome US, that leverage the generosity of the American people and reflect our values and identity as a country of laws and a nation of immigrants.
The United States launched an innovative new model, the Safe Mobility Initiative, that is now operational in Guatemala, Costa Rica, Colombia, and Ecuador. This initiative has already approved nearly 30,000 individuals to resettle safely and legally. These are individuals fleeing persecution in their home country who find refuge in the United States, enriching American towns and cities. Refugees and asylees contributed almost $124 billion to our economy from 2005 to 2019. Through our humanitarian parole program for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans, vetted migrants that meet eligibility criteria likewise enter the United States in a safe and orderly way.
Regional partners have also made significant strides to open lawful pathways. Mexico issued over 17,500 temporary visas to Haitians seeking international protection, addressing labor shortages while providing legal pathways for migrants.
Success hinges on establishing the combination of lawful pathways and consequences for those who choose an irregular pathway to the United States or other countries. The State Department recently announced new visa restrictions targeting companies that transport individuals seeking to migrate irregularly to the United States. We have used this authority to target charter airlines which collaborate with the Ortega-Murillo regime in Nicaragua to profit from exploiting vulnerable migrants, as well as Colombian maritime transportation companies that facilitate irregular migration. Additionally, the International Air Transport Association and its member airlines committed to take steps to ensure that smugglers cannot use commercial flights to facilitate irregular migration.
The United States continues to establish Biometric Data Sharing Partnerships with partners like Costa Rica to share information and stop nefarious actors from traveling north toward our border. We are mobilizing additional resources to help partners like Guatemala bolster security at land, air, and sea ports, enhancing regional screening and vetting.
We have achieved a 30 percent decrease in encounters of irregular migrants at our southwest border in the first four months of 2024, demonstrating the tangible impact of U.S. leadership and our strategic partnerships.
As I sat with Secretary Blinken and our 21 partners, it was clear that we are all in this together. While each country faces unique challenges, the focus is increasingly on collective action. This coordinated response, from Santiago to Ottawa, is something I have rarely seen in my 35 years of service at the State Department—a collaborative spirit we should celebrate and harness to drive further action.
The Los Angeles Declaration has transformed our approach to migration management by emphasizing regional cooperation to address root causes, expanded lawful pathways, and humane border controls.
Our shared commitment to these principles ensures a more secure and prosperous future for the United States and all countries in the Western Hemisphere.
Brian A. Nichols is U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
