U.S. officials to hold talks in Mexico on migration

MEXICO CITY —
Mexico introduced Monday that a number of prime U.S. advisers on border and immigration points will meet with Mexican officers on Tuesday to debate migration and improvement in Central America.

The talks come as a surge of migrants has hit the U.S. southern border. The journey to Mexico will embody Roberta Jacobson, the White House’s lead adviser on the border, and Juan Gonzalez, the National Security Council’s senior director for the Western Hemisphere.

The White House mentioned Jacobson, a former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, will go there Monday “to engage with Mexican government officials to develop an effective and humane plan of action to manage migration.”

Roberto Velasco, Mexico’s director for North American affairs, mentioned the talks will give attention to the 2 international locations “joint efforts for secure, safe and regulated migration,” and plans to supply financial improvement in southern Mexico and Central America so individuals will not come underneath strain emigrate.

The White House mentioned Gonzalez will then go on to Guatemala, to “meet with Guatemalan government officials, as well as representatives from civil society and non-government organizations to address root causes of migration in the region and build a more hopeful future in the region.”

Also among the many U.S. officers is Ricardo Zuniga, who was named Monday as Special Envoy for the Northern Triangle, which incorporates El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras — three of the international locations sending probably the most migrants to the United States.

The State Department mentioned Zuniga will “coordinate closely with the National Security Council staff on the administration’s comprehensive efforts to stem irregular migration to the United States and implement President Biden’s multi-year, $4 billion to address root causes of migration in Central America.”

Since Biden’s inauguration, the U.S. has seen a dramatic spike within the variety of individuals encountered by border officers. There have been 18,945 relations and 9,297 unaccompanied kids encountered in February — a rise of 168% and 63%, respectively, from the month earlier than, in keeping with the Pew Research Center.

U.S. border patrol officers had encountered greater than 29,000 unaccompanied minors since Oct. 1, almost the identical variety of youths taken into custody for the entire earlier price range yr, in keeping with administration officers.

Mexico introduced restrictions final week on nonessential journey throughout its southern border with Guatemala and Belize “to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” and despatched a whole lot of immigration brokers and National Guard to the southern border to clamp down on crossings.

Mexico didn’t clarify why the measure was introduced now, greater than a yr after the beginning of the pandemic, but it surely got here on the identical day the U.S. confirmed it would ship 2.5 million doses of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine to Mexico.

Officials say migrant traffickers are encouraging individuals to make the journey by claiming the U.S. border is open to migrants, whereas Biden administration officers have burdened that the border isn’t open.

Mexico has co-operated with U.S. efforts to stem the move, whereas stressing that the issue can solely be solved by addressing the basis issues of poverty and joblessness that lead many emigrate. Mexico has proposed huge funding to advertise financial improvement in these areas.