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?EXICO CITY (AP) - El Salvador's government has ?egun slapping a $1,
130 fee ?n travelers fr?m do?ens of count?i?s ?onnecting t?rough the
nation's main airport, amid U.S. pressure to ?elp contr?l
migration flows to its southern border.
 Since the end of October, citizens ?f 57 ?argely
African countries and India have h?d t? pay the fee, according
to El Sa?vador´s a?iation authority.
Av?ation officia?s did not say whethe? the
meas?r? was aimed at reducing migration and ?ave described the tariff as
an "airport improvement fee," but El Salvador´? gov?rnment ackno?ledged ?n uptick in travelers from those countrie? this year.
Also, t?e U.S. has been pressuring Central ?merican countrie? to curb migration flows to its ?order with Mexi??.
U.S. authorities say they stopped migrants there mo?e than 2 million times
during the fisca? year that end?d Sept. 30.
El Salvador´s aviation ?ut?ority said m?st passengers who have to pay the
fee are headed to Nicaragua on the commercial airline Avianca.
Because of its lax v?sa requirements, Nicaragua is a transit point for migrants from Haiti
and Cuba, ?s well as from Africa, wh? are trying
to reach t?e U.S.
Earlier this year, for ex?mple, U.S. officials ?ere surprised
by an increase in ?auritanian migrants arriving at
the southe?n border. No natural disaster, ?oup or sudden economic collapse could e?plain it.
Rather, travel agencies and social media influencers were prom?ting a mu?tileg trip that took mig?ants from the west African nation to N?caragua.
A flight itiner?ry of one Senegale?e migrant seen by The
Assoc?ated Press showe? the migrant pass?ng th?oug? Morocco,
Spain and El Salvador before land?ng in Manag?a. Th? last two legs
were aboard Avianca flights.
El S?lvador's aviation authority and immigrat?on agenc? both said they did not have data on how many migrants from the liste? countries had
transited the country this year.
A U.S. embassy spokesperson declined to say whether the U.S.
had requested the fee. But the ?bility to help
the U.S. control migration ?ould be a political boon for El Salvado? Pr?sident
Nayib Buke?e as ?e ?eeks reelection despite a constitutional prohibition ?nd faces scrutiny for his h?man ?ights record.
During President D?nald ?r?mp's administration, U.S.
policy toward El Salvador pr?oritiz?d ?eining in migration a?ove all else and Bu?ele heard no public c?iticism from the U.S.
as he began to consolidate power. Under President Joe Bid?n,
the U.S. ?as been openly critical of Bukele's reco?d on democrac? and human ?ights.
The U.S. State Department al?eged th?t Bukele´s war against powerful street gangs ha? resulted in "torture and other cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment, and other related abuses"
to tens of tho?sands of people detained. His go?ernment has
als? gone after journalists, act?vists and critics.
?ut migration now appears to be back at the top of the
bilateral agenda for the two ?ountries a? ?iden also
se?ks reelection.
While the Biden administrat?on has sa?? Central American nations " need to step up and do more" to control
migrati?n, not all of them have received the ?equest with open arms.
"Most governments have recognized that what is of clear interest to the United States is migration and so therefore it becomes a bargaining chip," said
Pam?la Ruiz, Central Americ? analyst for International Crisis Group.
"They will either become partners or adversaries on this issue."
Guatemala, Costa Rica, Colombia and Ecuador have worked with the U.S.
t? open centers for migrants looking to request a??lum,
apply for family reunification or temporary work perm?ts.
On the other hand, Nicaragu? has opene? it? doors to hundreds of charter fli?hts ?a?r?ing tens of thousands of U.S.-bound
Cuban and Haitian migrants in ?ecent months.
The f?ights - which one analyst described as Nicaragua "weaponizing migration as a foreign policy" - were met by a fierce warning from the
?iden admini?tration.
"We are exploring the full range of possible consequences for those who facilitate this form of irregular migration," wrote U.S.
Assistant Se?retary of State for ?estern Hemi?phere Affairs ?rian A.
Nichols in a post on X, form?r?y Twitter, this month. Haiti's
government announced the charter flights were being temporarily suspended.
As Bukele again came under criticism in recent weeks as he registered to seek reelection in 2024, the Biden adm?nistration was cautious in its remarks.
"There has to be a broad debate about the legality and legitimacy of the election, but it is a debate for Salvadorans," Nichols sa?d du?ing a recent
visit to El Salvador and ahead of a meeting wit? Bukele.
?he comments ?ere a sharp contra?t to ?ondemnations
of "anti-democratic behavior " in ne?ghbor?ng Guatemala´s
elections mont?s e?rlier.
Bukele "is willing to cooperate on immigration by banning certain nationalities by charging them a ridiculous fee in order to not get critiqued on the international level," said Ruiz,
of Crisi? Group. "Part of me wonders ... we will not critique the Bukele administration as much because it´s supposedly reducing the levels of migrants?"
___
?ssociated Press writer Marcos Al?mán in San Salvador, El S???ador, contributed to this report.
___
Follow AP's migration coverage at website Salvador sl?ps a
$1,130 fee on ?frican and Indian t?avelers as... link alternatif main g?me |
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