The US and Mexico agree to strengthen efforts to curb record migration.

In a joint statement released on Thursday, the governments of Mexico and the United States announced that they had agreed to collaborate more closely to address the issue of record migration at their shared border. This announcement came a day after high-level discussions on reducing record numbers of migrants.

The United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently visited Mexico. During his time there, the United States and Mexico announced that they would work together to expand a sponsorship program for migrants from Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Haiti, as well as to address the underlying reasons of migration.

Regularizing the situation of beneficiaries of the United States Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, also known as the so-called Dreamers, who were brought into the country illegally as children and long-time undocumented Hispanic migrants living in the United States was another topic that was discussed by the delegations, who are scheduled to meet again in Washington the following month.

These discussions occurred after the United States briefly closed several border crossings to redeploy agents toward enforcement. This action resulted in a halt in commerce and criticism from Republicans on the policies of the Biden administration toward the border. In the United States of America elections in 2024, when Democratic Vice President Joe Biden is campaigning for a second term, immigration and the border are anticipated to be among the most contentious concerns.

The Mexican President, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, announced earlier on Thursday that the two parties had reached an agreement to maintain the openness of border crossings following the temporary shutdown.

“This agreement has been reached, and the rail crossings and the border bridges are already being opened to normalize the situation,” Lopez Obrador stated at a press conference in the morning.

Lopez Obrador referred to the conversations that took place on Wednesday with the United States team as “direct,” and he went on to commend the Biden administration’s relationship with Mexico.

“CONFIDEnce in God”
This year, more than half a million migrants passed the treacherous Darien Gap rainforest that connects South America and Central America. This figure is twice as high as the record set in the previous year. Many of these migrants were leaving places of violence, poverty, and conflict to find better opportunities in the United States.

Currently, the most recent caravan of migrants and asylum seekers, which includes a significant number of families with young children, is making its way slowly across southern Mexico in the direction of the border with the United States. According to Lopez Obrador’s estimation, the caravan comprises around 1,500 individuals; however, activists and local media claim that the number is closer to 7,000.

“We have to have faith in God,” said Marvin Mejias, a migrant from Honduras, as he went with his son, who had recently undergone foot surgery. Mejias expressed his optimism that the governments had come to an agreement that would facilitate his entry into the United States and allow him to find employment there.

Fentanyl is a potent and lethal narcotic that Mexican cartels have been trafficking into the United States, and Lopez Obrador stated that the topic of fentanyl was “hardly discussed” during the meeting that took place on Wednesday.

While the United States has been exerting pressure on Mexico to take further measures to combat fentanyl trafficking, Mexico has been advocating for increased restrictions from the United States to prevent weapons from the United States from reaching the formidable cartels.