Andrés Manuel López Obrador has stated that he wants the United States to reopen border crossings that have been blocked owing to an inflow of immigrants.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Mexico's president in an effort to reduce the influx of migrants to the US's southwest border.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has stated his willingness to assist, but he wants to see progress in US relations with Cuba and Venezuela, two of the region's main suppliers of migrants, as well as greater development aid for the region.
On Monday, Mexico's top objective appeared to be convincing the United States to reopen border crossings that had been shuttered due to the migrant surge.
"We discussed the importance of the border and the economic relationship... the importance of reopening border crossings, which is a priority for us," foreign relations secretary Alicia Bárcena said following the meeting.
After previous steps such as barring direct travel into Mexico or deporting certain migrants failed to curb the flood, both sides in the discussions are under pressure to achieve an agreement. This month, up to 10,000 migrants were apprehended daily at the US-Mexico border.
The United States has struggled to process and house thousands of migrants at the border and in northern cities. Mexican companies were harmed last week when the United States temporarily shut down two important Texas railway crossings, claiming that border patrol agents needed to be transferred to deal with the increase. Another non-rail border crossing remained closed in Lukeville, Arizona, and operations in San Diego and Nogales, Arizona, were temporarily suspended.
Blinken kept the door open for those crossings to reopen if Mexico gives greater assistance.
"Secretary Blinken will discuss unprecedented irregular migration in the western hemisphere and identify ways the United States and Mexico will address border security challenges," his office stated. The two countries will work together to reopen critical ports of entry across their shared border.
According to Mexico, 680,000 migrants were identified passing through the nation in the first eleven months of 2023. To police immigration laws, the country sent more than 32,000 military troops and National Guard officers, which is around 11% of its entire forces. More migrants than criminals are currently being detained by the National Guard.
A group of approximately 6,000 migrants, including many from Venezuela and Central America, attempted to pass through Mexico's primary inland immigration inspection point in southern Chiapas state, close to the Guatemalan border, on Tuesday, demonstrating the limitations of that strategy. National Guard officers did nothing to stop them.
Mexico has previously allowed similar caravans to pass through, assuming that the long journey would exhaust the travelers.
Last week, López Obrador verified that US officials urge Mexico to take additional measures to restrict migrant crossings at its southern border with Guatemala, or to implement a program referred to as "contention."
On the other hand, the president stated that he wanted the United States to lessen or do away with sanctions against Cuba and Venezuela in return for the migrants' home countries receiving greater development funding.
"We will provide assistance, just like we always have," López Obrador stated. In this instance involving Venezuela, Mexico is assisting in the reaching of agreements with other nations. He claimed that Mexico had suggested to President Joe Biden that a bilateral dialogue be initiated between the United States and Cuba.
In May, Mexico agreed to take in migrants from countries such as Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba who had been turned away by the US for not following laws that gave new legal paths to asylum and other types of migration.
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