Overview
- The Department of Homeland Security released the agreement text on November 14 and media report it is slated for Federal Register publication on November 17.
- The pact would let the United States propose transferring certain asylum-seekers to Ecuador, with both countries retaining full discretion to approve or decline each case.
- No funding is committed by either party and any use of the mechanism depends on available resources and technical capacity specified in later operational procedures.
- Ecuador agrees not to return transferred individuals to their countries of origin until a final decision on their cases, and unaccompanied minors are excluded from transfers.
- Ecuador’s interior minister, John Reimberg, said he just learned of the public posting and will review the document, as earlier officials signaled a possible intake of up to 300 people per year under eligibility limits.