Asylum Cooperative Agreements (ACAs) are agreements the U.S. made with certain other countries that change where and how asylum seekers can apply for protection.
What they are (in plain terms)
ACAs allow the United States to transfer certain asylum seekers to a partner country instead of letting them apply for asylum in the U.S. The idea is that the person should seek protection in the first "safe" country they pass through or are sent to, rather than choosing the U.S.
They're sometimes referred to as "safe third country–type" agreements, although they are not identical to the U.S.–Canada Safe Third Country Agreement.
How they work
Under an ACA:
A person arrives at or enters the U.S. and asks for asylum.
If the person passed through or can be transferred to an ACA partner country, the U.S. may send them there instead.
The partner country is then responsible for handling that person's asylum claim.
Countries involved
During the Trump administration, ACAs were signed with:
Guatemala
Honduras
El Salvador
In practice, Guatemala was the primary country that actually received transferred asylum seekers.
Why they were controversial
Critics argued that:
The partner countries lacked strong asylum systems
They had high levels of violence and poverty
Many asylum seekers had no real ties to the country they were sent to
Transfers could put people at risk rather than protect them
Supporters argued that:
ACAs reduced pressure on the U.S. asylum system
They discouraged forum shopping (choosing the U.S. over closer countries)
They helped manage migration flows regionally
Current status (important)
ACAs were suspended and effectively ended in 2021 under the Biden administration.
As of now, the U.S. is not actively using ACAs in the form they existed from 2019–2020.
However, similar ideas continue to appear in immigration policy debates and proposals.
How they differ from "Remain in Mexico"
ACAs: Send asylum seekers to a different country to apply there.
Remain in Mexico (MPP): Required asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their U.S. cases were processed.
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