Strictly Enforce the Safe Third Country Agreements requiring that those coming from El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala seek asylum there first, otherwise be returned to await the outcome of their claims.
Push for strict enforcement of Safe Third Country Agreements, requiring individuals from El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala to seek asylum there first, or be returned to await the outcome of their claims.
Occurrences
The agreement, which was published in the Federal Register on July 15, 2025, stipulates that Central American nationals may be transferred from the United States to Guatemala, where authorities would have the discretion to consider their requests for refugee status or temporary protection.
Honduras is now the latest Central American country to reach an agreement with the U.S. on asylum-seekers. ... the two countries signed what's known as a "safe third country" agreement. Under it, Central American migrants journeying through Honduras en route to the U.S. would be forced to apply for asylum in Honduras instead. The U.S. has already signed similar "safe third country" agreements with Guatemala and El Salvador.
Evidence
Senator John Hoeven issued a statement criticizing President Biden's executive actions on immigration, emphasizing the need for real border security and strict enforcement of Safe Third Country Agreements.
Senator Hoeven welcomed a federal injunction blocking the Biden administration from ending Title 42 and pressed for the enforcement of Safe Third Country Agreements.
As of November 2025, the U.S. has announced 'safe third country' agreements with the governments of Canada, Guatemala, Honduras, Uganda, Belize, and Paraguay, with more agreements expected to be signed.
Transfers of third country nationals began on October 10, 2025, when three Hondurans were transferred from the United States to Guatemala and from there to Honduras. As of March 2026, dozens of Hondurans and Salvadorans continue to be sent to Guatemala.
The U.S. signed a 'safe third country' agreement with Honduras, requiring Central American migrants journeying through Honduras en route to the U.S. to apply for asylum in Honduras instead.
An agreement between the United States and Guatemala enables the U.S. to rapidly expel non-Guatemalan asylum seekers to Guatemala without allowing them to lodge asylum claims in the U.S., leaving them without access to effective protection in Guatemala.
On February 6, the Biden administration announced that it had formally suspended the Asylum Cooperative Agreements (ACAs) with Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador and begun the process of withdrawing from them.
While safe third-country agreements appear on paper to hold the potential of deterring new asylum applications and speeding up asylum procedures, experience suggests that these may be false promises.
A federal habeas order described DHS serving removal notices to Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala in March and April 2026 and saying it was still trying to find a third country, showing the policy was actively being used.
The court order says DHS filed a motion on January 2, 2026, to pretermit an asylum application under Asylum Cooperative Agreements with Ecuador, Guatemala, and Honduras, and an immigration judge later granted the motion and ordered removal with Guatemala and Honduras as alternative countries.
Hoeven said he was pressing the administration to strictly enforce Safe Third Country Agreements so people from El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala would seek asylum there first or be returned to wait for decisions.
The first Honduran asylum seeker was sent to Guatemala after the July 2019 safe third country agreement, and Axios reported the policy mostly affected migrants from Honduras and El Salvador traveling through Guatemala.
The order says DHS filed a motion on January 2, 2026, to pretermit an asylum application under Asylum Cooperative Agreements with Ecuador, Guatemala, and Honduras, and an immigration judge later ordered removal using Guatemala and Honduras as alternative countries.
Assessments
Hoeven appears to have made a real effort to advance this policy by publicly pressing for strict enforcement of Safe Third Country/Asylum Cooperative Agreements, including for migrants tied to El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala. There is also evidence that the federal government later used third-country removal mechanisms involving Guatemala and Honduras, and notices involving El Salvador, in 2025-2026. But the record here does not show that Hoeven himself wrote, sponsored, or materially drove the later implementation beyond public advocacy; much of the actual enforcement either predated his push or was carried out later by executive officials. Under the federal office context, that supports credit for advocacy and some alignment with the eventual outcome, but not full delivery attributable to him.
Hoeven publicly and repeatedly advocated strict enforcement of Safe Third Country/Asylum Cooperative Agreements and backed related border restrictions, but the record here shows mostly statements rather than legislation or executive action he directly drove. The actual third-country removals and agreement usage were carried out by the executive branch, so the promise was only partly advanced, not clearly fulfilled by his own efforts.
Senator Hoeven consistently advocated for the strict enforcement of Safe Third Country Agreements both publicly and through statements calling for their enforcement. The U.S. established agreements and did transfer some asylum seekers to Guatemala and Honduras in later terms, partially matching the promise. However, efforts were hindered or reversed at the executive level, particularly by the Biden administration, which suspended or ended some of these agreements. Hoeven demonstrated clear legislative effort, but the policy was only partially delivered in practice and was inconsistently enforced over time.
Senator John Hoeven consistently advocated for and pressed for strict enforcement of Safe Third Country Agreements, evidenced by news releases and public statements. The U.S. entered such agreements and carried out some transfers to third countries, particularly Guatemala and Honduras, with additional agreements reported as signed or in effect. However, the Biden administration suspended and began repealing these agreements, and the full, sustained strict enforcement Hoeven sought was never comprehensively realized or maintained for all three Northern Triangle countries. Therefore, while serious legislative and advocacy efforts were made and partial implementation occurred, the promise was only partially fulfilled.