Mexican and US authorities held a high-level security dialogue on Thursday aimed at improving border security which focused on the flow of migrants and fentanyl trafficking.
Meeting in Mexico City, Mexican Security Secretary Rosa Icela Rodríguez and Foreign Minister Alicia Barcena welcomed the US delegation headed by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Attorney General Merrick Garland and Homeland Security Advisor Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall.
Witnessing a record number of migrant crossings and an inability to discourage migration flows through Mexico to the US, the bilateral commission pointed to the need to renew commitments to stop the influx of irregular asylum seekers into the United States.
At a press conference, the US officials disclosed joint efforts to tackle migration, pairing border security reinforcement in Mexico with the US pushing for stricter policies regarding deportation and a commitment to open more legal pathways for orderly migration.
“We are a nation of immigrants and laws,” said Blinken.
According to Blinken, repatriation is key in US immigration policy to address the surge in migrant crossings. During the press briefing, he cited a recent agreement between Venezuela and the US that will result in the resumption of direct repatriations of Venezuelan nationals who cross the US border unlawfully.
The anti-immigration policy centers on Venezuelans who had arrived in the US after July 31 and will take effect in the coming days.
Source : AA