Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said the Biden government’s immigration policies have contributed to a wave of migrants that has overwhelmed facilities on the southern border in recent weeks.
President Biden reversed several Trump-era immigration measures, easing restrictions on asylum seekers and ending a policy that required migrants to remain in Mexico while defending their entry into the United States. Lopez Obrador said the changes have led migrants fleeing the harsh conditions of Central America to risk their journey to the border.
“There was an expectation that with President Biden’s government there would be better treatment for migrants,” said Lopez Obrador at a news conference. “And that made migrants from Central America, and also from our country, want to cross the border thinking that it is easier to do so.”
The Biden government has resisted calls from Republican lawmakers in recent weeks to declare a border crisis and tighten immigration restrictions in response to the increase. More than 15,000 unaccompanied migrant minors are in custody at federal facilities, according to CBS News.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas reiterated this week that the southern border is closed. He said the Biden administration has no plans to expel unaccompanied minors who cross the border, despite limited capacity at border facilities.
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO – MARCH 17, 2021: The President of Mexico, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, gestures during his daily morning briefing, to talk about the application of the Covid-19 vaccine to the elderly in Mexico, at the National Palace. on March 17, 2021 in Mexico City, Mexico. (The photo credit must be Ismael Rosas / Eyepix Group / Barcroft Media via Getty Images)
Earlier this week, Biden said he plans to visit the border “at some point”.
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US officials should meet with counterparts in Mexico and Guatemala to discuss how best to deal with the border crisis. Lopez Obrador argued on Tuesday that US support for economic development in Central American nations would help at the root of the increase in migrants.
“People don’t go to the United States for fun, they go out of necessity,” said Lopez Obrador, according to Reuters. “It is necessary to support the development of Central America and southern Mexico. Particularly from Central America ”.