U.S wants to work with Guyana on migration challenges

Mar 31, 2025 News

Kaieteur News- United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that while Guyana is not a source country for illegal migration to the U.S, it is essential for both nations to collaborate on migration-related security issues.

U.S wants to work with Guyana on migration challenges

United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio

Speaking at a press conference held at State House in Georgetown last Thursday, Rubio outlined the migration challenges Guyana faces due to its growing economy and strategic geographic location, making it an ideal destination for many foreign nationals.

Secretary Rubio highlighted the need for proper screening and security cooperation to ensure the country remains safe. “We want to work with you on that. I think that’s a problem for you as well. I mean, obviously, because of the combination of your growing economy, labour needs, and your geography, you have been a place where a lot of people have come in, and I think you want it to be the right people, right?” Rubio said.

The U.S official further underscored the importance of intelligence sharing to prevent individuals with criminal intentions from establishing a presence in Guyana. He cited potential threats from organised crime groups and drug traffickers, stressing that timely information exchange would be a key pillar of the security cooperation agreement signed between the two nations.

He said, “If we have information on a Tren de Aragua gang member from Venezuela, we want to make sure that, we have collaboration and we’re sharing that information. If we have information that some narcotrafficker is taking up shop here and has decided to try to turn this into a base of operation, which could become could lead to violence and warfare here, gang warfare, we want to be able to share that with you.”

Rubio further clarified that while Guyana itself is not a primary source of migrants attempting to enter the U.S illegally, it continues to receive a high volume of people from other countries. “So from the perspective of Guyana, which is not a source country of migration to the United States per se illegal migration but it is a country that receives, unfortunately, you’re getting a lot of people. And not everybody that comes here, I mean, most people are probably here to work hard and so forth, but not everyone,” Rubio added.

During Rubio’s visit to Guyana, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed aimed at deepening cooperation and addressing regional challenges. The MOU is designed to strengthen the partnership between the two countries in tackling challenges such as narcotics trafficking and transnational organised crime. The agreement also includes the sharing of information on synthetic drug detection, transnational crime investigations, prosecutions, and military-to-military cooperation.

(U.S wants to work with Guyana on migration challenges)

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migration, Rubio, Security, United States

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