Mexico (Washington Insider Magazine)— On Wednesday, Senior US officials held a “very productive meeting” with their Mexican counterparts. According to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, Washington strives to help from Mexico City to reduce southern border crossings that have put rising pressure on President Joe Biden.
“The regional challenge of migration requires regional solutions, and we appreciate Mexico’s commitment to continue its efforts alongside us and with others,” Mayorkas reported on X, following a bilateral meeting also accompanied by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and White House Homeland Security advisor Liz Sherwood-Randall.
Officials from both countries expressed the talks reached well, though initial reports following the meeting were relatively soft on details.
“As we made clear in Mexico City today, we are committed to partnering with Mexico to address our shared challenges, including managing unprecedented irregular migration in the region, reopening key ports of entry, and combating illicit fentanyl and other synthetic drugs,” Blinken stated in a post on X.
In a post on X, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador stated, “Important agreements were reached for the benefit of our people and nations” during the discussions without giving details. “Now more than ever, a good neighbour policy is essential,” he said.
The immigration issue has been a political vulnerability for Biden amid intense criticism from Republicans and some members of his party over the crisis at the US-Mexico border.
This month, the matter fell at the centre of the president’s foreign policy part as the White House lobbied for assistance to Ukraine and Israel. Lack of consensus eventually kept Biden from clinching billions of dollars in funds for Ukraine, Israel, and the border.
Homeland Security officials have, in recent months, examined a range of ways. It includes how Mexico can assist in reducing the number of immigrants at the US border. Further, moving migrants from the south controls the railways migrants use to move north.
In January, Biden talked with Lopez Obrador in Mexico City for the North American Leaders’ Summit. It was accompanied with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. They discussed migratory flows in the region.
Nearly a year later, several measures were aimed at deterring irregular migration. The record number of migrants pushing across the Western Hemisphere remains a critical challenge for the US and Mexico.
The number of migrants currently travelling in a caravan toward the US southern border has dropped as migrants have dispersed to approximately 3,000. The data were estimates from the UN refugee agency and conveyed to CNN.
Following a meeting on Wednesday, senior administration officials said they had seen “a pretty significant reduction in border crossings.”
According to senior administration officials, Mexico discussed plans in the talks to crack down on migrant smugglers.
Mexico has also taken a leadership role in “conducting humane border management, including repatriations,” a senior administration official stated. It was further added that more repatriations were performed this year than ever.
“(Mexico) came prepared to share a plan with us on how they were taking the work they are already doing,” a senior administration official expressed. “Enforcement actions are building on that. That was also aligned with the things we’ve been focused on. Things like the need to crack down on the smugglers that are putting migrants on buses putting migrants on trains. We’ve seen that contribute to the increase that we’ve seen at the border and just in recent weeks.” Mexico’s Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alicia Barcena defined the talks as “very good.”
Migrants have been attempting to pressure the Mexican administration to provide documents. It has previously permitted people crossing into Mexico to move throughout the country.
The top Mexican diplomat informed reporters the talks also covered the significance of the economic relationship between the two countries. According to a statement told to CNN by Mexico’s Foreign Ministry, the root reasons for migration are poverty, inequality, violence and family reunification.
