The Government of the President of the United States, Joe Biden, hopes that the Spanish Government will commit to resettle in Spain a “modest” number of refugees from the American continent, the American media reported on Wednesday Axios.
According to Axios, which cites “internal planning documents” in the context of the Summit of the Americas, to be held this month in Los Angeles (California), the White House expects Spain to make the announcement during the meeting, by who has been invited by Washington.
According to the documents cited by Axios, the initial number of refugees to be resettled in Spain will be “modest” but “symbolically important”.
Madrid is also expected to agree to double or triple the number of temporary workers it receives from Central America who travel to Spain through a labor migration program.
On the other hand, the US media pointed out that it is also expected that during the Summit of the Americas, Canada will announce the reception of 5,000 refugees from the American continent over several years. The documents show that Canada plans to significantly expand its commitment to refugees in the region and announce new recruitment efforts to bring Haitians to the country for work.
Anonymous sources cited by Reuters They point out that the Spanish and Canadian governments are studying separate proposals, but no decision has been taken at the moment. A senior Canadian official quoted by Axios also clarified that the negotiations “are ongoing” and no decision has been made regarding specific commitments.
The documents do not clarify the nationality of the refugees who would be resettled in both countries, always according to Axios.
The Summit of the Americas will be held in Los Angeles from June 6 to 10, the first time that it is organized by the United States since the 1994 edition. One of the main objectives of the regional meeting is the elaboration of a joint declaration on migration, at a time when the migratory flow in the American continent is increasing.
The other big question is how to relaunch the economic recovery, after the serious impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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