Christian Smith
El Paso, Texas (Border Report) – Mexico says it will help the United States keep migrant crossings below 4,000 per day on its southwest border – a move aimed at controlling a years-long humanitarian crisis that has plagued both countries.
Mexican authorities are holding talks with seven “migrant expeller” countries in the Western Hemisphere to discuss legal pathways to the United States, economic assistance, jobs in Mexico, repatriation flights and a possible loosening of U.S. sanctions on Venezuela and Cuba.
“Migration is no longer a problem between the US and Mexico. No, it’s a problem that goes beyond that. We must have a regional vision because the majority (of migrants) who pass through Mexico are not Mexicans”, said the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alicia Barcena. at Tuesday’s inauguration of the “Mexican Human Mobility” plan. “We need to have a closer relationship, so that the US and Mexico jointly address migration.”
US Customs and Border Protection data shows agents arrested 304,540 Mexican citizens on the southwest border since October 1, compared to more than 700,000 migrants from other countries. Additionally, 81,140 Mexicans and more than 227,000 citizens of other countries were detained or presented themselves for asylum appointments at U.S. ports of entry in California, Arizona and Texas.
“On our northern border (of Mexico), we made a commitment with the United States to achieve a reduction in the flow to the border, so that the number does not exceed 4,000 per day. They (US officials) have the capacity to manage the passage of 4,000 people along their border, but not more than 4,000,” said Barcena.
Only the El Paso sector in May 2023 was detaining 6,200 migrants in its processing centers. Late last year, Arizona’s processing facilities were so overwhelmed that send newly found migrants to El Paso for processing.
The Mexican Foreign Minister said the initiative began to take shape in December. This month broke records in terms of unauthorized crossings in both the USA and Mexico. Since then, ministry officials have met with representatives from Venezuela, Ecuador, Cuba and other countries in the Western Hemisphere.
Barcena attributed the migration to “failed economic models” that keep people in poverty, fuel violence and have not addressed climate change that leads people to abandon agriculture. She says US sanctions on some countries also contribute to this.
“We are fighting for the elimination of sanctions and other political factors that harm people; the sanctions on Venezuela and Cuba do not necessarily affect the ruling class, they affect the people. That’s one of the things we advocate for” with the U.S. government, she said.
The U.S. government restricts business transactions with certain Venezuelan companies and has targeted some officials of Nicolás Maduro’s regime for individual sanctions, according to an April 24 report. Congressional Research Service Report. The United States also maintains a comprehensive economic embargo in Cuba.
Migrants from both countries have appear at the US border in the last four years by tens of thousands.
Barcena said Mexico has absorbed 40,000 foreigners into its workforce since 2017 and is willing to absorb more into its factories in border cities like Juarez, Tijuana, Nuevo Laredo and others.
She says Mexico is also lobbying the Biden administration to substantially increase aid to Latin America.
“They talk about 95 billion dollars in aid to Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, but what about our hemisphere? They (the Biden administration) announced $87 million for Guatemala, but that is nothing compared to what they could contribute to programs that address the (root) causes” of migration, Barcena said.
U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, said it is not enough for the Biden administration to target a reduction in illegal immigration.
“Anything other than zero, the answer is no,” Gonzales said. “If you want to talk about legal immigration, let’s talk, but don’t mix the two things. We should all be against illegal immigration and that number should always be zero.”
Reducing unauthorized daily border crossings from December’s 8,056 to the target of 4,000 still results in 1.46 million illegal entries per year.
The Mexican human mobility plan includes training Mexican citizens living abroad. Mexico calls on the United States to legalize 5 million Mexican citizens who have lived without authorization in the country for more than five years, while contributing to the prosperity of the US economy.
Mexico has long advocated the legalization of its citizens who migrated to the United States, but now appears to want to take on an international leadership role, said Yael Schacher, director for the Americas and Europe at Refugees International.
“Now things are complicated. Mexico now sees itself as a regional power, holding alternative summits in the Americas with Cuba and Venezuela. Mexico sees a new role in the Americas and the United States needs to address that,” Schacher said this week at a forum sponsored by Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.
