April 23, 2026 – 09:14
A total of 16 people from different countries arrived in Paraguay within the framework of a cooperation agreement that our country signed with the United States. The initial group was made up of 25 foreigners; However, nine were rejected because their documents did not meet the requirements.
Jorge Kronawetter, head of the Migration Directorate, reported that around 1:00 this Thursday they arrived in our country 16 people who are part of the first contingent of migrants to whom The United States denied them entry. The National Chancellery received the data of 25 people whose arrival was scheduled within the framework of the agreementbut, of this group, nine did not meet the requirements to be admitted to Paraguay.
“Of those 25 people, we carried out a complete security check (…) These people underwent a check far beyond that simple check that is usually done with normal people due to the need to protect national security in relation to who these people were. Within that check we have noticed the need to reinforce the documentation of nine people,” Kronawetter explained.
The official added that Migrations appropriately informed the National Chancellery, which forwarded the communication to its counterparts in the United States. Thus, these nine people were not embarked and, therefore, did not come to Paraguay.
Read more: Paraguay rejects nine foreigners of the 25 sent by the US.
They guarantee that migrants have no criminal record
Kronawetter highlighted that there was the collaboration of all the immigration and police agencies of the countries where these migrants originate and, in that sense, he stated that it was possible to verify that None of these people have a criminal record..
“Using our powers and without giving up our sovereignty, we have rejected people who we believed did not have the conditions to enter; that is why these 16 entered (…) We are in a position to ensure that their identities are 100% checked and that they have no records either in their country of origin, or in Interpol or in the United States,” he assured.
What countries do the admitted migrants come from?
- Bolivia
- Colombia
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- Dominican Republic
- Spain
Read more: Peña government hides scope of migrant disembarkation
Kronawetter said that – a priori – these 16 people They would have no intention of staying in the countryas they stated in the interview they had minutes after their arrival.
“Everyone had the intention of returning and many were very eager to return to their respective countries as soon as possible. As was said from the beginning, we became a country of safe return for these people. They will be free, what we are doing through the IOM is being able to accelerate all the procedures so that all the people who have decided to return can do so immediately,” he said.
The authority indicated that the next contingent of foreigners will be arriving in Paraguay in the month of May.
The Migration Directorate highlights in a statement released this Tuesday that, in accordance with article 86 of Law No. 6984/2022 on Migration, the data of the migrants who are part of this process must be treated with strict confidentialitytherefore no details will be provided that allow their individualization, in response to the humanitarian nature of the cooperation mechanism and the protection of their rights.
Read more: Due to an error in Immigrations he had to pay a fine and now demands his money back
