This Friday, July 7, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said that there has been a “considerable decrease in the migratory flow”, while showing a monthly graph of deportations carried out by the United States. Are the harsh immigration policies of our neighbor to the north having an effect?
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Almost two months have passed since the United States eliminated the so-called Title 42, a regulation that allowed expedited expulsion of migrants for health reasons associated with the pandemic. New caravans and massive arrivals to the border between Mexico and the United States were feared, but the outlook is far from it.
This Friday, July 7, the President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, said that there has been a “considerable decrease in the migratory flow”, while showing a monthly graph of deportations carried out by the United States.
In May, the total number of deportees exceeded 200,000, while in June it was less than 150,000. This, at the same time that non-Mexican migrants expelled from the United States went from more than 150,000 in May to less than 100,000 in June.
The Mexican president puffed up his chest, assuring that the decrease is due to his government’s social programs in Central American and Caribbean countries such as ‘Sembrando Vida’ and ‘Jóvenes Construyendo Futuro’, in which some 200 million dollars have been invested.
Growth with well-being is what we are looking for, that things go well for those above, but also for those below. morning conference https://t.co/yYi2VHXTya
– Andrés Manuel (@lopezobrador_) July 7, 2023
According to the president, who made the statements in his traditional morning conference, his Administration’s strategy has included facilitating shelters and has prevented migrants from exposing themselves to risks such as kidnappings by organized crime.
“Accidents in vehicles in poor condition, trailers that overturn, where suffocation occurs, all of this is very unfortunate. We are anticipating all of this, arresting human traffickers and the owners of those units,” said López Obrador.
The statements by the head of state occurred despite the fact that last March, 40 foreign migrants died inside a Mexican government detention center in what human rights organizations have described as a “state crime.”
The rules applied by the United States after the end of Title 42
On May 11, Title 42 was eliminated, a measure with which 2.8 million migrants were deported and was implemented by then-President Donald Trump during the pandemic.
When Joe Biden became President, he promised to ease the restrictions on immigration in the country, however, Title 8 was re-implemented, a regulation with strong sanctions for those who try to enter the North American country illegally.
yes okn Title 8 allows travelers request asylum at the border, they must wait in Mexico for an appointment on the CBP One app, the Customs and Border Protection platform. Otherwise they risk expedited removal proceedings that could take place while they are detained.
In addition, the migrants face another obstacle: having passed through other countries without having requested refuge there, which would be a deterrent for many of them due to the conditions in those neighboring nations.
With Title 8 there is the possible opening of criminal proceedings and even a veto to re-enter the country for at least five years. Likewise, the expulsions of those who do not comply with the necessary procedures were accelerated, while the number of deportation flights increased and the capacity of adult detention centers was expanded.
With EFE and Reuters
