US pulls out of UN conference on migration

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump’s America has pulled out of another global commitment.

The US informed the UN on Saturday that it was “ending its participation in the Global Compact on Migration”, a world grouping started in September 2016 with the adoption of the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants by the 193-member UN General Assembly to promote “safe, orderly and regular migration”.

“The New York Declaration contains numerous provisions that are inconsistent with US immigration and refugee policies and the Trump administration’s immigration principles,” the US permanent mission to the UN said in a statement.

“As a result, President Trump determined that the United States would end its participation in the Compact process that aims to reach international consensus at the UN in 2018.”

Since Trump took office in January, the US has pulled out of the Trans-pacific Partnership, the Paris Accord on climate change and UNESCO and forced a renegotiation of a trade pact with Mexico and Canada.

The announcement to leave the compact came just hours a day ahead of the start of a threeday UN global conference on migration scheduled to begin on Monday in Mexico.

US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said: “America is proud of our immigrant heritage and our long-standing moral leadership in providing support to migrant and refugee populations across the globe. No country has done more than the US, and our generosity will continue.

“But our decisions on immigration policies must always be made by Americans and Americans alone. We will decide how best to control our borders and who will be allowed to enter our country. The global approach in the New York Declaration is simply not compatible with US sovereignty.”

The decision will reinforce Trump’s commitment to “America First” and underline its hardline position on immigration and refugees.