U.S. signs Safe Third Country immigration agreement with Paraguay, the first with a South American country

Washington and Asuncion signed an unprecedented immigration agreement for South America. Known as the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA), it will allow those wishing to apply for asylum in the United States to first complete the paperwork from Paraguay.

"This agreement offers asylum seekers currently in the United States the opportunity to process their applications for protection in Paraguay, allowing our countries to share the burden of managing illegal immigration and ending the abuse of our country's asylum system," the State Department explained in a statement.

"The president of the United States will no longer allow the U.S. asylum system to be abused," said Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who signed the pact. He also thanked Paraguayan President Santiago Peña "for his leadership in combating illegal immigration and partnering to create a more secure hemisphere."

Peña himself later assured on his social networks that the agreement was "one more step" in the "defense of democracy and human rights," as well as "in the construction of a safer world for all."

Paraguay's Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that the Memorandum of Understanding includes collaboration in "the analysis and processing of protection requests."

"The United States will refer to Paraguay the cases of persons requesting refuge," he wrote. "CONARE [Paraguay's National Commission for Stateless Persons and Refugees] will evaluate each application and determine its approval or rejection in accordance with current regulations."

It is the first Safe Third Country Agreement the United States has signed with a South American country and the first of Trump's second term, according to CNN. In his first term, he had made ones with countries such as Guatemala and Honduras.

In a statement on the signing, Rubio pointed to the pact as yet another "example" of the "broader strategic partnership between the United States and Paraguay." "Together, we are combating transnational crime, countering malign actors, and advancing regional stability."