U.S.-El Salvador Sign Agreement to Force Asylum Seekers to El Salvador

On September 20, 2019, the United States and El Salvador governments signed a Protection Cooperative Agreement.[1]  The Acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Kevin K. McAleenan signed on behalf of the United States.  The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alexandra Hill Tinoco signed on behalf of El Salvador. According to a joint statement, the Agreement recognizes El Salvador’s recent decision to join the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework.  It states it will use U.S. and international best practices to “enhance collaboration on building protection capacity and increase protection options closer to home for vulnerable populations.”