MEXICO CITY.- The president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador said he is willing to take new measures to manage the growing arrival of migrants to the frontera American, but stated that he hopes that “the US begins talks with Cuba and send more aid” to the migrants’ countries of origin.
“We are going to help, as we always do,” said the president, “but it is not only containment,” he added, it is also about cooperation and solving “political problems” that encourage migration.
In fact, the United States has held several conversations with the Government of Cuba and provided several special visa plans for Cubans on the island, but the rampant emigration suffered by the Caribbean island exceeds the thousands of delivery permits granted by Washington.
Cuba is suffering a strong economic crisis, in addition to a rigorous state of surveillance and persecution, after the coronavirus pandemic and the massive popular protests of July 2021.
López Obrador’s comments during the press conference this Friday morning came a day after he had a conversation with President Joe Biden after which the US announced the trip to Mexico of a delegation of senior officials to decide on the new measures. to take to resolve the situation on the common border.
The Mexican confirmed that Americans want Mexico to do more to block migrants to the south, on the border with Guatemala, and to make their passage through the country more difficult, but he assured that his government is not only seeking agreements with the United States.
“Mexico helps to reach agreements with the government of Venezuela,” some of which have already been finalized, such as the lifting of some sanctions. “In this case we also want the differences with Cuba to be addressed… I have already raised it with President Biden, that a Cuba-United States bilateral dialogue be opened,” said López Obrador.
The growing influx of migrants, especially Venezuelans but also Cubans and Central Americans, caused some crossings to collapse and caused the US to close two border railway crossings with Texas that are vital for Mexico’s economy.
Meeting in Mexico
During the conversation with Biden, López Obrador agreed that more border surveillance was needed in order to reopen the crossings, said White House Homeland Security spokesman John Kirby.
For this reason, Biden asked the Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, the Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, and the White House National Security Advisor, Liz Sherwood-Randall, to travel to Mexico to talk with López Obrador and his team and see “what else we can do together,” Kirby added.
According to López Obrador, the visit will probably take place on December 27.
Failure of immigration policy
Meanwhile, business owners are increasingly eager to reopen crossings because, the Mexican Employers’ Confederation said this week, the closures with Texas are costing about $100 million a day in shipping delays and “represent the failure of “immigration policy”.
Mexico receives by rail from the US much of the corn and soy products it needs to feed livestock. The flow of auto parts on one side and automobiles on the other is also usually done by train.
Other closed points include the Lukeville border crossing in Arizona and a pedestrian entrance in San Diego.
This month, irregular crossings along the US-Mexico border exceeded 10,000 on some days, an unusually high number.
The meetings between Mexico and the US come as Republican and Democratic lawmakers debate changes to border policy as part of a broader conversation about US aid to Ukraine and Israel, which are the top foreign policy priorities of the US. White House.
Source: With information from AP
