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NEW YORK (Reuters) - The United States said on Thursday it was working with Ecuador to open offices in the "coming weeks" to help migrants apply for legal U.S. entry in the hopes of discouraging illegal border crossings, which have reached record highs in recent years.
The U.S. Department of State said the so-called "Safe Mobility Offices" are already operating in Colombia, Costa Rica, and Guatemala to expedite refugee processing and other humanitarian and employment permits.
The Ecuador office will initially focus on Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, Venezuelan and Colombian asylum seekers in Ecuador, the State Department announced on its website.
U.S. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, has opened up a range of new legal pathways for migrants to enter the country while embracing some more restrictive border measures that echo the policies of his Republican predecessor Donald Trump.
Biden is seeking reelection in 2024 and Trump is the leading candidate for his party's nomination. Immigration is set to be a major issue in the upcoming presidential campaign.
On Wednesday, the Biden administration said it would open up a new family reunification process for Ecuadorean nationals with relatives in the United States.
(Reporting by Mica Rosenberg in New York; Editing by Richard Chang)
