Thousands of migrants at the US-Mexico border

MEXICO CITY. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met on Wednesday with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, with whom they agreed to set up a working group to jointly manage the record number of undocumented immigrants arriving at the US southern border.

“Our meeting was very satisfying and important,” Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Barcena told reporters on the steps of the presidential palace. The minister stated that the working group will be convened at the end of January.

No new initiatives beyond the working group were announced at the meeting, despite López Obrador’s upbeat message to Platform X that “important agreements were reached.” The Mexican president said he asked to meet with US President Biden “in order to closely discuss the issues of economic cooperation, security and immigration. Today, more than ever, the policy of good neighborliness is essential.”

Anthony Blinken was accompanied on his one-day trip to Mexico by US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and White House Homeland Security Advisor Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall.

In a press conference before Blinken’s arrival, López Obrador called on the Biden administration and Congress to provide more resources to the “poor people” of Latin America, instead of “erecting barbed wire fences and walls” to prevent crossings into their southern border.

“The US knows very well what our proposals are and what are the causes of immigration that need to be addressed. Immigration, however, became an object of political exploitation in our neighboring country. Although our relations with Washington are good, next year’s elections provide an opportunity for such political exploitation. We must stop risking human lives, because this journey is already very dangerous and these people are victims of traffickers and criminal organizations,” the Mexican president said before meeting with American ministers.

President Joe Biden said last month he was ready to compromise with congressional Republicans who are demanding tougher immigration policies, including new restrictions on asylum and expanded deportation powers, but said he would not give in to an “extremist agenda.” Congress adjourned for the holidays without approving the administration’s request for $14 billion in additional funding to bolster border enforcement.

Blinken’s arrival in the federal capital coincides with a caravan of thousands of migrants in southern Mexico heading for the US border. In early December, the US authorities ordered the closure of some border crossings in an attempt to deal with the migration wave. More than 2 million people arrived at the Mexican-US border in 2023. After a phone conversation he had with his Mexican counterpart last week, President Biden wrote on Platform X: “Initiatives by law enforcement authorities are necessary to restore the orderly operation of critical inputs to our country.” Blinken and Mallorca’s visit was thus intended to put pressure on the leftist Mexican president to take a share of the responsibility for the new repressive measures to be taken in the border zone.

New York puts the brakes on

New York Mayor Eric Adams imposed restrictions on immigration for the first time on Wednesday, responding to efforts by the conservative Texas governor to send tens of thousands of asylum seekers to New York as punishment for its progressive views. An executive order issued by the mayor requires bus companies chartered by the state of Texas to transport immigrants to notify New York City authorities 32 hours in advance of each coach’s arrival, while limiting the hours during which the buses can travel. they disembark the immigrants.

Last week, 14 busloads of migrants arrived in New York from Texas overnight, the most since spring 2022. Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has admitted sending 25,000 migrants to New York. “These people get off the buses wearing shorts and sandals. Nothing has been planned for them,” says a member of an NGO. New York estimates that the influx of immigrants from Texas will cost social services $12 billion over the next three years.

Source: Daily