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By: EFE
Thursday, October 31
The United States will accept requests for a foster care program for Central American minors
The United States will begin to receive this Tuesday new applications for the foster care program for minors in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras , which seeks to prevent children and adolescents from making dangerous journeys from Central America to meet their parents on US soil.
This was reported by two officials of the President’s Administration, Joe Biden, who in the past 10 March restored that initiative after his predecessor Donald Trump canceled it in 2017.
Under the Central American Minors (CAM) program, the Government reunites with their parents those children and adolescents who remain in Central America , as long as a series of requirements are met and their parents legally reside in the territory. or American.
“ We are ready to start receiving applications “, said in a phone call with journalists one of the officials.
US authorities anticipate that “ Tens of thousands ”of people submit a petition to benefit from this program.
In a first stage, the Biden Government ordered to attend to the requests that were pending after the cancellation of the program in 2017.
Since then, more than 3 have been identified, 000 cases that were closed without an interview , of which 1, 400 have been reopened, although they have not yet reached EE. No child benefited by this measure, detailed one of the officials.
In the new phase that begins tomorrow, parents and legal guardians of minors who have Immigration protections such as Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or Deferred Forced Departure (DED, in English).
Those who have pending a response to their request for asylum or U visa (granted to victims of crime or abuse), filed before the past 15 of May.
The official explained that the application must be made in the United States, but that minors will have to stay in their places of origin in Central America . Central American children or adolescents who are in Mexico or on the southern border of the United States .
On the other hand, the Secretary of National Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, announced this Monday on his Twitter account a website where requests for reunification of separated families will be received between 20 January 2021 and 20 of January of 2021.
Those families were separated under US immigration laws, including the policy “ zero tolerance “, applied by the Trump administration and which allowed the sending of adult immigrants intercepted at the border to centers detention, keeping them away from the minors they were with.
A Family Reunification Task Force created by Biden estimates than more than 3, 900 Migrant children were separated from their families between July 2017 and January 2021 under the Trump Administration.
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