UN agrees ‘historic’ migration deal without US

The US was noticeably absent from the UN on Friday, as members agreed a draft framework on how to better handle the flow of migrants across the world. Described as a “historic moment” by General Assembly President Miroslav Lajcak, the non-binding Global Compact on Migration sets out objectives, actions and avenues for facilitating safe, orderly and regular migration, while reducing the incidence and impact of irregular migration and respecting states’ sovereignty regarding migration policy. Citing non-compatibility with the Trump administration’s immigration policy, the US has been boycotting the negotiations since last year, while Hungary is now looking to pull out of the deal for fear it will force the country to take migrants traveling across Europe. The deal will be ratified by members in December at a meeting in Marrakech, Morocco.