Brian Nichols, the person in charge of Latin America at the US Department of State, stated that the US government is currently ruling out granting Temporary Protection Status to Colombian migrants. Nichols made this statement in an interview with Efe, highlighting that the situation in Colombia is currently stable. However, Nichols stated that if the situation in Colombia changes, the US Government may explore the option of offering TPS status to Colombians. The high-level dialogue between Colombia and the US ended just one day before Nichols made the statement. The Colombian Government has been calling for TPS status for Colombian migrants, but Nichols highlighted that this is a decision for the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to make on a country-by-country basis. During the dialogue, the two countries discussed key issues including migration, security, and the anti-drug policy of the new Colombian Government led by President Gustavo Petro.
The person in charge of Latin America of the US Department of State, Brian Nichols, affirmed this Wednesday that Your country rules out, for now, granting temporary protection status to Colombian migrants, as the government of President Gustavo Petro has been demanding.
This was stated by Nichols in an interview with the Efe agency in which he assured that the situation in Colombia currently “is good”.
“If Colombia comes to have a situation that requires that, under the law it is possible, however I think the situation in Colombia is quite good since the 2016 agreement (with the FARC),” Nichols told Efe.
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The statement by the person in charge of Latin America comes just one day following the end of the tenth high-level dialogue between Colombia and the United States, that took place between Monday and Tuesday in Washington with important delegations from both countries.
(You can read: US Senator asks Colombia to comply with commitments in the fight once morest drugs)
During these two days, the representatives of both countries addressed key issues on the bilateral agenda such as migration, security and the anti-drug policy of the new Petro government.
Since a time ago, the Government of Colombia asked the Joe Biden Administration to apply the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and the Deferred Forced Departure (DED) humanitarian program that would prevent the deportation of Colombian migrants in the United States.
In fact, during the visit last year to Bogotá by the Secretary of State of the United States, Antony Blinken, Petro requested a TPS for Colombians, like the one that was applied at the time for Venezuelans.
If Colombia comes to have a situation that requires that, under the law it is possible
“I think that a TPS for Colombians is necessary,” said the Colombian president at a press conference.
(You can read: ‘Gustavo Petro’s anti-drug plan is not very realistic’: William Brownfield)
However, Nichols told Efe that these types of programs require an analysis of the current situation in each country, adding that This is a decision of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
“It’s something that we’re always looking at in all countries, their internal conditions,” Nichols said.
In his dialogue with the agency, Nichols also announced that the United States is willing to participate in the international conference to resolve the political crisis in Venezuela that Colombian President Gustavo Petro will convene in Bogotá.
“Yes, we are willing to participate. We are concerned regarding the situation of the Venezuelan people, and any country that is contributing its good votes and good offices to improve the situation is something important,” he said.
INTERNATIONAL WRITING
TIME
*With Efe
In conclusion, Brian Nichols, the person in charge of Latin America for the US Department of State, announced that the United States will not grant temporary protection status to Colombian migrants currently, despite the demands of President Gustavo Petro’s government. Nichols argued that the situation in Colombia is relatively stable since the 2016 agreement with the FARC. This statement from Nichols comes just a day following the end of the tenth high-level dialogue between Colombia and the United States, which dealt with key bilateral issues such as migration, security, and anti-drugs policies. It remains to be seen if the United States will grant temporary protection status to Colombian migrants in the future, and it is ultimately up to the Department of Homeland Security to make that decision.