The Trump Administration has been consistent with its vision of immigration policy and the America First promises

Leer en Español: ¿Por qué Estados Unidos decidió salir del Pacto de Nueva York?

Far from representing a break in the politics of the current government, the decision made by the United States Delegation to the UN can be seen as another step within the political agenda of America First. The resolution was argued under the slogan of government sovereignty because, according to the official statement of the Delegation: “The New York Declaration includes several provisions that are inconsistent with the immigration and refugee policies of the United States, and the immigration principles of the Trump Administration “.

What is the New York Pact and why is it important?

The United Nations World Declaration on Migrants and Refugees, also known as the New York Pact, took place in September 2016, when United Nations representatives met to establish guidelines for migration and its current global challenges.

Backed up by the Obama Administration, the New York Pact sought to ensure the Human Rights of migrants, while seeking to improve migration policies based on international cooperation. This act represented a commitment from all nations, including the United States, to create a global policy.

During Barack Obama’s term, the US position vis-à-vis migrants was more open to engaging with the international community, allowing not only the participation of the United States in declarations such as the New York Pact, but also the creation of hosting program for young migrants.

Within the current US Administration, restrictive immigration policy has been on the table since the beginning. In fact, President Donald Trump has made clear his position concerning immigrants since his election campaign, marking an imaginary wall between ‘them’ and ‘us’.

Therefore, it could be said that, controversial or not, the recent decision to not participate in the Global Compact on migrants and refugees can be seen as a decision consistent with the political campaign and ideology presented by the now president of the United States, Donald Trump. Even though this does not mean that it follows the same course of the international policy programs of past Administrations.

The tightening of immigration policies and the different executive acts that have led to the suspension of visas and the termination of famous reception programs have been characteristic of the Trump Administration since the first weeks of his mandate. Beginning with the controversial measure that prohibited the entry of refugees and nationals from 7 countries in January of this year, the Trump government has systematically acted in favor of a more restrictive policy.

In September 2017, the president decided to suspend the famous reception program Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), known as Dreamers, and that has welcomed IGNORE INTO the US nearly 800,000 young migrants since 2012. Likewise, at the beginning of November President Trump ended the Central American Youth Minors (CAM) support program for Central American youth. This initiative was officially created by the Obama Administration in 2014 as an alternative to the humanitarian crisis lived in the region due to the wave of violence and the migration of Central American minors through the southern border of the United States.

Even with strong criticism from the opposition, especially from the Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, who described the cancellation of the Dreamers program as “a deeply shameful act of political cowardice and a despicable attack on innocent young people in communities throughout United States”, the Trump Administration has been consistent with its vision of immigration policy and the America First promises.

Latin American Post | Laura Delgado

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