The United States and Mexico seek an urgent agreement to stop the growing wave of migration

The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, arrived in Mexico this Wednesday with the hope of showing progress in the fight againstincrease in immigrationone of President Joe Biden’s main headaches in winning re-election in 2024.

The visit of the head of American diplomacy, unusual in that it took place during Christmas week, was scheduled suddenly, at a time when The Republican Party is pressuring Biden to take measures against immigration in exchange for Congress members approving new aid to Ukraine.

Every day, according to US authorities, around 10,000 migrants attempt to enter the southern border without permission, almost double compared to before the pandemic.

Washington has closed some border crossings with Mexico to focus its efforts on bringing in migrants.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador spoke by phone last week about this issue with Biden, who agreed to send Blinken, who traveled accompanied by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and the House immigration official Bianca, Liz Sherwood.

López Obrador said Friday that Mexico would “strengthen measures” to stop the flow of migrants heading to the United States.

“We help a lot, we will continue to do so and we want to reach an agreement because even with the elections in the United States the immigration issue will be encouraged,” the Mexican president said before the meeting on Wednesday. with US officials.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller announced that the US delegation will discuss with López Obrador “the urgent need for legal remedies and additional action” regarding immigration.

Mexico has agreed with both Biden and his predecessor, Republican Donald Trump, to welcome, at least temporarily, migrants trying to enter the United States.

Immigrants and Donald Trump’s campaign

Trump, favored for the Republican nomination to face Biden in the November 2024 presidential election, is campaigning with an anti-immigration message, at the accuse foreigners of “poisoning the blood” of the country, Hitler’s own words, his critics noted.

Republicans are refusing to support a new financial aid package for Ukraine in Congress if steps aren’t taken to stop immigration.

The Biden administration has warned that without a deal, Ukraine will soon run out of the weapons it needs to defend itself from Russian invasion.

The government’s proposal to convince the Republicans foresees increase Border Patrol agents by 1,300.

Proposals for a new agreement

Andrew Rudman, director of the Mexico Institute at the Wilson Center in Washington, believes that Blinken will seek an agreement with López Obrador to take measures, such as granting work permits, and thus keep migrants in Mexico.

“The Biden administration wants to show that it is doing everything it can” to stop immigration, he said. “One of the challenges is that everyone wants a short-term solution to a long-term global problem,” but “there is no magic bullet.”

“Most of these people migrate because they believe life will be better for them in the United States,” he said.

Most of the migrants come from Central America, albeit in recent months The number of Venezuelans and Haitians fleeing poverty and violence has increased who devastate their countries.

A caravan of thousands of migrants left southern Mexico on Sunday after being unable to obtain a permit to cross the country to the United States.

María Alicia Ulloa, a Honduran who is part of this caravan, asked U.S. and Mexican officials meeting Wednesday to find ways to help the migrants, as the situation in their home countries “is also critical.”

“We emigrate with the hope of giving a better life to our children, and a better life to the family members who remain,” he said.

Source: AFP