Mexico-US agreement to deport migrants amid surge
How did the Mexico-US agreement come about and what does it entail?
Video source : cnn
The agreement was reached on Friday, September 24, 2023, in a meeting between Mexican officials and US Customs and Border Protection officials in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, which is across the border from El Paso, Texas .
The meeting followed the recent spike in illegal crossings into the US, which temporarily closed an international bridge and paused Mexico’s main cargo train system .
According to a Department of Homeland Security official, migrant crossings along the border surpassed 8,600 over a 24-hour period this week, up from around 3,500 daily border arrests after the expiration in May of Title 42, a public health order that allowed the US to expel most migrants without due process .
The busiest sectors are Del Rio, El Paso, Lower Rio Grande Valley and Tucson; each facing more than 1,000 encounters over the last 24 hours, according to the official .
Eagle Pass, Texas, which is in the Del Rio sector, has declared a state of emergency due to the influx of migrants .
The Mexico-US agreement consists of 15 actions that Mexico has vowed to carry out, some in coordination with Customs and Border Protection and Ferromex, a Mexican railroad operator, according to Mexico’s National Migration Institute .
Some of the key actions include:
- Deporting migrants to their home countries by land and air .
- Negotiating with the governments of Venezuela, Brazil, Nicaragua, Colombia and Cuba to confirm receipt of their citizens deported from the US-Mexico border .
- Allowing US border patrol agents to expel migrants through the Ciudad Juárez International Bridge, which connects to El Paso .
- Submitting a daily report of the number of migrants on the train system to Customs and Border Protection’s El Paso sector .
- Establishing checkpoints along the Ferromex rail route and conducting interventions on railways and highways .
What are the expected outcomes and challenges of the Mexico-US agreement?
The Mexico-US agreement is expected to reduce the pressure on Mexico’s northern cities, which border the US, and prevent migrants from risking their lives by using the railway system to reach the US-Mexico border .
It is also expected to complement the joint humanitarian plan on migration that Mexico and the US announced in May 2023, which aimed to address the root causes of migration and expand legal pathways for migrants from Central America and other countries.
However, the Mexico-US agreement also faces some challenges and criticisms, such as:
- The lack of transparency and accountability on how the deportations will be carried out and whether the migrants’ human rights will be respected .
- The potential impact on the asylum seekers who have legitimate claims for protection in the US or Mexico and may face violence or persecution in their home countries .
- The ongoing humanitarian crisis at the border, where thousands of migrants, especially children, are living in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, facing health risks and abuse .
- The need for a comprehensive and long-term solution that addresses the structural factors that drive migration, such as poverty, violence, corruption, climate change and lack of opportunities .
Conclusion
The Mexico-US agreement to deport migrants from its border cities is a new attempt to cope with the surge in border crossings that has overwhelmed both countries’ capacities and resources.
The agreement aims to reduce the pressure on the border cities, deter migrants from crossing illegally and enhance the joint humanitarian plan on migration.
However, the agreement also raises some concerns and questions about the fate of the migrants, the respect for their rights, the conditions at the border and the need for a sustainable and holistic approach to the migration challenge.
