Pence urges Central American leaders to stop migrant flow

GUATEMALA CITY — Vice President Mike Pence had a blunt message for three Central American governments: Do more to stop migrants who enter the United States illegally.

“This exodus must end,” Pence told the leaders of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador late Thursday in a meeting in Guatemala City.

Pence said U.S. officials were working to keep families together and welcomed legal immigration, but he urged the presidents to “tell your people that coming to the United States illegally will only result in a hard journey and a harder life.”

He made the comments to Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales, Salvadoran President Salvador Sanchez Ceren and Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez.

The U.S. vice president said the Trump administration “will always welcome” immigrants who follow the rules in getting permission to enter the United States.

But, he added, the U.S. is determined to act strongly against those who don’t.

“It is a threat to the security of the United States, and just as we respect your borders and your sovereignty, we insist that you respect ours,” he said.

The three Central American countries are the home nations of most of the migrants detained and separated in recent weeks amid Trump administration policies that led to the separations of more than 2,000 children. Pence noted the White House’s decision to reverse the policies.

Sanchez Ceren of El Salvador said one of his ministers had confirmed that the minors in the shelters had their basic needs covered, but he emphasized that “it’s vital for their psychological health and their emotional health to reunite them immediately with their families.”

Honduras’ president said it is essential for his government to tackle the roots of migration and insecurity in a way that is not only good for the U.S. but good of the people of the Central American countries.