WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – The Obama administration announced a broad expansion on Tuesday of a programme to let people fleeing violence in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras enter the United States as refugees, and said Costa Rica agreed to temporarily shelter some of those with no other recourse.
Under the plan, Costa Rica will host up to 200 applicants at a time deemed too vulnerable to remain in their homelands while the U.S. Department of Homeland Security evaluates them for possible resettlement, which could take up to six months.
The United States will also expand a programme for child refugees and allow some people to apply for refugee status in their home countries.
The steps, after months of criticism of President Barack Obama’s handling of the crisis, are modest in comparison to plans announced by Secretary of State John Kerry in January to open several refugee processing centers in the region.
