Top U.S. and Mexican officials are to meet Friday in Washington to discuss strengthening cooperation and continuity in addressing the migration issues at the U.S.-Mexico border.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and White House homeland security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall are representing the United States, with Mexican Foreign Affairs Secretary Alicia Barcena leading the visiting delegation.
Biden administration officials said Thursday that although they do not foresee any major announcement, they expect a productive conversation that will build upon the progress made during the December 27 meeting in Mexico City.
"We will concentrate on implementing sustainable solutions that address the root causes of migration," a State Department spokesperson said on a call with reporters.
In May 2023, Mexico agreed to receive migrants from countries such as Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba who were removed from the U.S. border for crossing into the United States without authorization and without following established legal pathways to asylum or other forms of migration.
A Homeland Security Department official said during the call that the U.S. and Mexico understand that more people are displaced around the world today than at any other time since World War II.
The U.N. high commissioner for refugees says at least 108.4 million people wereforcibly displaced at the end of 2022 worldwide because of "persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations, or events seriously disturbing public order."
"And that includes record numbers of individuals displaced within our own hemisphere. This is a challenge for us. And it's also a challenge for our Mexican counterparts. We look forward to continuing our robust conversations with them on how we can work together to address what isn't just an American challenge or a Mexican challenge but truly a regional challenge," the DHS official said on the phone call.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported 242,418 migrant encounters at the southern border in November, numbers similar to October’s total of 240,986. In 2022, encounters totaled 235,173 in November and 231,529 in October.
December numbers have yet to be released, but federal border officials reported a record 11,000 apprehensions a day at the southern border in December.
"It coincided with the time when Mexican enforcement was no longer implemented. The immigration enforcement agency in Mexico was not funded, which prompted President [Joe] Biden to reconnect with [Mexican] President [Andres Manual Lopez] Obrador." Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told reporters January 10.
Border encounters dropped sharply with the beginning of the new year when enforcement resumed in Mexico.
On Thursday’s call, U.S. officials said this is typically the time of year when encounters at the border decrease.
"But we also believe that the actions taken by the Mexican government are having an impact as well," the DHS official said.
The United States has resumed repatriation flights to Venezuela, and Mexico has done the same thing, starting in December, the most recent measure by countries in the region to address the exodus of people to the U.S. border. Venezuela is in the middle of a political and economic crisis. The U.N. says 7 million Venezuelans have left their home country.
"We encourage other countries to join us. We also applaud the steps that Mexico has taken, Panama, and other countries to restrict irregular migration and visa impose new visa controls," according to a White House National Security Council official on a call.
