Refugees - USA and Mexico: cooperation against irregular migration
The USA and Mexico want to work more closely together to tackle irregular migration. During talks in Mexico City, representatives of the two governments agreed to set up a bilateral working group that will meet regularly, as Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Bárcena told journalists.
The aim is to reduce the number of migrants trying to reach the USA via Mexico. The countries of origin of most migrants in Central and South America are also to be included in the efforts.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas and White House Homeland Security Advisor Liz Sherwood-Randall at the National Palace in Mexico City. Important agreements were reached, wrote López Obrador on the X platform, formerly Twitter.
Fleeing poverty, violence and crises
According to local media reports, at least 7,000 migrants were on their way to the USA on foot in southern Mexico at the time of the meeting. They had formed a caravan on Christmas Eve. Mexico is on the migration route of people who want to reach the USA in the hope of a better life. They are fleeing poverty, violence and political crises in their home countries.
Irregular immigration is one of the dominant issues in the 2024 presidential election campaign in the USA. According to the Border Patrol Agency (CBP), almost 2.5 million attempted border crossings were registered at the southern border of the USA in the 2023 financial year.
Read also:
- Year of climate records: extreme is the new normal
- Precautionary arrests show Islamist terror threat
- UN vote urges Israel to ceasefire
- SPD rules out budget resolution before the end of the year
- The international community has shown interest in supporting Mexico's efforts in managing migration, recognizing the significant role Mexico plays as a transit country for migrants heading towards the USA.
- During their meeting in Mexico City, Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State, praised Mexico's president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, for his cooperation in addressing irregular migration and commended the efforts made to reverting the trend.
- The bilateral working group established between the USA and Mexico aims to enhance cooperation on migration issues, particularly focusing on the reduction of unlawful migration along the Mexico-USA border and improving the situation in the migrants' countries of origin.
- Speaking at the White House, President Biden emphasized the importance of the partnership with Mexico, stating that the USA and Mexico share a common objective of ensuring a safe and orderly migration process while protecting the rights of migrants.
- Amid increasing pressure on the USA to address the surge in migrants, many political analysts and experts argue that enhancing cooperation with Mexico and other Central American countries could contribute to a more effective response to this multifaceted challenge.
Source: www.stern.de
