ACAs – Brief Explanation

Since former President Trump took office in 2017, his administration tried to establish international alliances to reduce the number of asylum seekers in the US. For instance, the Asylum Cooperative Agreements (ACAs) allowed the Trump administration to create accords with neighboring countries for immigrants in need of international protection to apply for political asylum there.

ACAs allow the US to send asylum seekers to neighboring countries (those that signed the agreements) or deny their applications if they have not applied for political asylum in other territories before reaching the country’s borders.

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ACAs with Central American countries

Since 2019, the Trump administration tried to implement ACAs with countries of the Northern Triangle of Central America. In late December 2020, just a couple of weeks before former President Trump left office, the governments of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras signed the ACAs with the US.

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The Biden administration suspends ACAs with Central American countries

Since President Biden launched his political campaign, he emphasized the need to remove restrictive policies implemented by the Trump administration on the local immigration system, especially those affecting the most vulnerable immigrant communities such as asylum seekers, who need international assistance while fleeing persecution and violence.

Regarding ACAs, the Biden administration has mentioned that it is different to establish cooperation agreements with first world countries that have the necessary resources to protect the integrity of asylum seekers, but to create agreements with countries that are experiencing internal conflicts and do not have resources to offer international protection to immigrant communities could put the lives of innocent people at risk, who need opportunities to migrate with dignity.

Therefore, on Saturday, February 6, 2021, Biden’s DOS (Department of State) suspended ACAs established by the Trump administration with countries of the Northern Triangle of Central America (Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras). The Biden administration plans to permanently remove these agreements “after the notice period stipulated in each of the Agreements, but their suspension is immediate.”

This decision took place after President Biden issued an Executive Order to create cooperation agreements with neighboring countries and improve the regional immigration system to handle and reduce immigration more effectively, improving the quality of life of Central American citizens and investing in social security.

However, DOS clarifies that “these actions do not mean that the U.S. border is open. While we are committed to expanding legal pathways for protection and opportunity here and in the region, the United States is a country with borders and laws that must be enforced.”

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