US, Mexico to clamp down on illegal immigration, leaders say
Send a link to a friend
[April 30, 2024]
By Ted Hesson and Raul Cortes
WASHINGTON/MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -The United States and Mexico plan to
clamp down on illegal immigration at their shared border, leaders from
both countries said on Monday, vowing to disrupt irregular crossings
that have reached record levels in recent years.
In a phone conversation on Sunday, U.S. President Joe Biden and Mexican
President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said their administrations would
soon take steps to decrease illegal crossings while also addressing the
economic and security problems that cause people to migrate.
"In the short term, the two leaders ordered their national security
teams to work together to immediately implement concrete measures to
significantly reduce irregular border crossings while protecting human
rights," the leaders said in a joint statement
Biden, a Democrat seeking another four-year term in the Nov. 5 election,
has toughened his approach to border security in recent months as
immigration has emerged as a top concern among voting-age Americans.
Republicans, including Biden's opponent, former President Donald Trump,
have criticized the president for rolling back restrictive Trump-era
border policies and failing to stem higher levels of illegal crossings.
The White House has considered utilizing Biden's executive authority to
block migrants at the border, Reuters has reported, but such a move
could trigger legal challenges and backlash from some Democrats.
The White House is also discussing ways to provide temporary legal
status and work permits to immigrants in the U.S. illegally who are
married to American citizens, which could serve as a political
counterbalance to restrictions at the border.
Biden backed a bipartisan U.S. Senate bill earlier this year that would
grant him new authority to turn away migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border,
but Republicans rejected the measure after Trump came out in opposition.
[to top of second column]
|
An asylum-seeking migrant is being body searched by the U.S. Border
Patrol agent before transported after crossing the border from
Mexico into the U.S. in Jacumba Hot Springs, California, U.S. April
29, 2024. REUTERS/Go Nakamura
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said last week that
the Biden administration still supports the bill but that "we're
always going to look at our options."
Mexico will hold a presidential election on June 2 although
immigration is not a top voter concern, according to public opinion
polls. Former Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, Lopez Obrador's
successor in the leftist National Regeneration Movement (MORENA),
remains the frontrunner to win the election.
Lopez Obrador told reporters on Monday he had spoken with Biden
about keeping the countries' border open to legal immigration "but
not allowing irregular migration."
The U.S. Border Patrol caught a monthly record of 250,000 migrants
crossing illegally in December, but numbers have dropped
significantly since then, with 137,000 arrests in March.
Lopez Obrador attributed the reduced arrivals at the U.S.-Mexico
border in part to social programs Mexico has backed in other Latin
American countries from where migrants originate.
U.S. and Mexican officials have cited increased enforcement by
Mexico as a factor contributing to the decrease in crossings.
(Reporting by Ted Hesson in Washington, Raul Cortes and Kylie Madry
in Mexico City; Editing by Brendan O'Boyle, Mica Rosenberg, Nick
Macfie and Jonathan Oatis)
[© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]This material
may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |