According to White House officials, President Obama will urge the presidents of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador to exhaust all options in order to curb the influx of migrant children arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border.
The meeting will underscore the importance of identifying and dealing with the underlying causes of the crisis, including gang violence, poverty, and the belief that minors will be able to remain in the United States after crossing the border. Additionally, Obama is set to pressure the Central American leaders to strengthen the message that minors will not be permitted to stay.
The Honduran and Guatemalan Presidents place much of the blame on the United States. Juan Orlando Hernandez of Honduras alluded to “the ambiguity that has been the hallmark of the debate of the reform of the immigration process” as a reason coyotes have been taking more and more children to the border.
The Obama Administration, however, rejects the notion that the President’s policies have led to misperceptions over who will be permitted to stay in the U.S. after crossing the border.
This meeting takes place amidst competing proposals from the President, Senate Democrats, and House Republicans, who all have differing plans about how to resolve the current crisis.
Speaker Boehner on Thursday remarked that he was “still hopeful that common ground can be found.” Even so, only six legislative days are left until the five week Congressional recess, and many remain in doubt as to whether any agreement will be passed.
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