Washington: Mexico’s government is raising concerns that the Biden administration’s immigration
The Wednesday report from Reuters outlined concerns from Mexican officials over the President Biden’s immigration policies as apprehensions at the southern border hit a 15-year high in February.
Specifically, Mexico is concerned about the policies that have broadened support for migrants who are gang and violence victims as well as the easing of the legalization process.
Mexican officials are also concerned about Biden rolling back President Trump’s hardline immigration policies. such as the policy that deported detained migrants to Central America.
The report also revealed that the gangs involved in facilitating illegal immigration are looking at the policies “incentiviz[ing] migration” and adjusting their modus operandi for smuggling accordingly.
A Mexican official speaking anonymously told Reuters that the way organized crime was conducted in the country changed “from the day Biden took office.”
“Migrants have become a commodity,” the official told Reuters, saying that migrants are now valued as highly as illicit narcotics.
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said in a March 1 virtual meeting with Biden that many of the people attempting to enter the U.S. illegally see Biden as “the migrant president” and that “so many feel” they’ll reach America.
“We need to work together to regulate the flow, because this business can’t be tackled from one day to the next,” Obrador added.
According to assessments obtained by Reuters, migrants are still being told to bring children with them to the border to make it easier to apply for asylum. Additionally, the coyotes and other smugglers are telling migrants from Central America to tell asylum officials they are victims of extortion.
