Report: US to send asylum seekers to Honduras, blocking them from making a claim in America

Kristin Lam | USA TODAY

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A migration deal will allow immigration authorities to send asylum seekers to Honduras and prevent them from reapplying in the United States, according to documents obtained by the Los Angeles Times.

The Department of Homeland Security announced the agreement in September, but the Times on Monday was the first to report that the deal would block seekers from applying in the U.S. if Honduras or another country rejects their asylum claims.

Under the deal, authorities could send asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border to Honduras regardless of if they came from the country, the Times reported. Immigration officials previously said the agreement would prevent vulnerable populations from being "victimized by smugglers."

A source provided a copy of the agreement to the Times this week, the newspaper reported.

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The U.S.-Honduras agreement is one of President Donald Trump's many efforts to crack down on asylum seekers at the border. The Trump administration struck a similar deal with Guatemala requiring migrants to apply for asylum there if they cross into the Central American country en route to the U.S.

Another proposed rule makes asylum seekers who pass through another country first ineligible for asylum at the U.S. southern border. Announced in July, the rule faces several legal challenges.

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The U.S.-Honduras deal has also drawn criticism since it was announced in September. Michelle Brane, director of migrant rights and justice at the Women's Refugee Commission, said the deal endangers families and undermines human rights.

"Honduras is one of the most dangerous countries in the world," Brane tweeted. "It is the opposite of what we are supposed to stand for."

The U.S. Department of State issued a travel advisory for Honduras in June, urging tourists to reconsider visiting the country because of crime rates.

"Violent crime, such as homicide and armed robbery, is common," the advisory states. "Violent gang activity, such as extortion, violent street crime, rape, and narcotics and human trafficking, is widespread. Local police and emergency services lack sufficient resources to respond effectively to serious crime."

Contributing: David Jackson and Alan Gomez, USA TODAY