The Latest on an agreement between the U.S. and El Salvador to make it a haven for migrants seeking asylum. (all times local):
3:35 p.m.
The United States and El Salvador have signed an agreement that may eventually force migrants seeking asylum to first seek refuge in El Salvador, one of Central America's most violent countries, instead of coming to the United States.
Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan signs an agreement with El Salvador Foreign Affairs Minister Alexandra Hill during news conference at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection headquarters in Washington, Friday, Sept. 20, 2019. (AP PhotoPablo Martinez Monsivais)
Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan and El Salvador Foreign Minister Alexandra Hill Tinoco signed the agreement Friday, lauding their two countries for working together to stem migration to the U.S.
Hill Tinoco said her country has not been able to give its citizens "enough security or opportunities" to stay home and that the U.S. will help improve the situation.
The agreement could lead to migrants from other countries obtaining refuge in El Salvador even though many Salvadorans are fleeing their nation and seeking asylum in the United States.
Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan speak during a news conference with El Salvador Foreign Affairs Minister Alexandra Hill at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection headquarters in Washington, Friday, Sept. 20, 2019. (AP PhotoPablo Martinez Monsivais)
Critics say the agreement disregards the safety of people fleeing violence in Central America.
8:29 a.m.
A senior Trump administration official says the U.S. is planning to sign an agreement to make one of Central America's most violent countries, El Salvador, a haven for migrants seeking asylum.
The official said acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan will sign a "cooperative asylum agreement" with El Salvador on Friday. The official wasn't authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.
The agreement could lead to migrants from third countries obtaining refuge in El Salvador, even though many Salvadorans are fleeing their nation and seeking asylum in the U.S. It's the latest effort by the Trump administration to force asylum-seekers in Central America to seek refuge outside the United States.
A Salvadoran delegation has been in the United States meeting with officials.
JERUSALEM (AP) — Yemen's Houthi rebels on Saturday claimed shooting down another of the U.S. military's MQ-9 Reaper drones, airing footage of parts that corresponded to known pieces of the unmanned aircraft.
The Houthis said they shot down the Reaper with a surface-to-air missile, part of a renewed series of assaults this week by the rebels after a relative lull in their pressure campaign over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.
U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Bryon J. McGarry, a Defense Department spokesperson, acknowledged to The Associated Press on Saturday that “a U.S. Air Force MQ-9 drone crashed in Yemen.” He said an investigation was underway, without elaborating.
The Houthis described the downing as happening Thursday over their stronghold in the country's Saada province.
Footage released by the Houthis included what they described as the missile launch targeting the drone, with a man off-camera reciting the Houthi's slogan after it was hit: “God is the greatest; death to America; death to Israel; curse the Jews; victory to Islam.”
The footage included several close-ups on parts of the drone that included the logo of General Atomics, which manufactures the drone, and serial numbers corresponding with known parts made by the company.
Since the Houthis seized the country’s north and its capital of Sanaa in 2014, the U.S. military has lost at least five drones to the rebels counting Thursday's shootdown — in 2017, 2019, 2023 and this year.
Reapers, which cost around $30 million apiece, can fly at altitudes up to 50,000 feet and have an endurance of up to 24 hours before needing to land.
The drone shootdown comes as the Houthis launch attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, demanding Israel ends the war in Gaza, which has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians there. The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking some 250 others hostage.
The Houthis have launched more than 50 attacks on shipping, seized one vessel and sank another since November, according to the U.S. Maritime Administration.
Houthi attacks have dropped in recent weeks as the rebels have been targeted by a U.S.-led airstrike campaign in Yemen. Shipping through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden has declined because of the threat. American officials have speculated that the rebels may be running out of weapons as a result of the U.S.-led campaign against them and after firing drones and missiles steadily in the last months. However, the rebels have renewed their attacks in the last week.
A Houthi supporter raises a mock rocket during a rally against the U.S. and Israel and to support Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, April. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)
