Mexico announced on Tuesday, July 30 that the number of migrants traveling through the country to reach the United States has dropped by nearly 40 percent since May.
President Donald Trump convinced Mexico to help diffuse the migration crisis in June, after Trump threatened to impose increasingly crippling tariffs on Mexican goods. The country has since then begun to heavily enforce its immigration laws.
“Recall that in the month of May it was 144,278,” said Foreign Minister of Mexico Marcelo Ebrard at a news conference in Mexico City. “We are at 87,000 which means a considerable reduction as you can immediately see here.”
Ebrard credited two things for lowering the number: an increased enforcement of its immigration laws and investments in job creation in Central America.
Kevin McAleenan, the United States Secretary of Homeland Security, said that apprehensions dropped by 20 percent in June at the southwest border. They dropped 22 percent in July.
To further curb the crisis, the Migrant Protection Protocol (MPP) was expanded to cover the entire southwest border. The policy allows the United States to return illegal immigrants to Mexico while they wait for the resolution of their immigration proceedings.
“So 43 percent overall thanks to the effort on the government of Mexico’s side and the implementation of our Migrant Protection Protocols border-wide,” McAleenan said in the Oval Office during the signing of an asylum agreement with Guatemala on July 26.
President Trump oversaw the signing of the asylum agreement with the Central American nation. He said he soon expects to have a similar deal with El Salvador.
The pact with Guatemala requires migrants from Honduras and El Salvador to file their asylum claims and await the decisions in their cases in Guatemala under MPP. Those who fail to do so will be sent back to Mexico once they are apprehended on the U.S.-Mexico border.
Trump called the deal with Guatemala “historic” and said it would be “terrific” for both countries. The president noted that the deal will pave the way for investment in Guatemala and the expansion of the farm-workers visa program.
“Today, we’re sending a clear message to human smugglers and traffickers that your day is over. And we’re investing in the future of Guatemala, the safety of migrants, and their families,” Trump said. “We’ll protect the rights of those with legitimate claims, and we’ll end the widespread abuse of the system and the crippling crisis on our border.”
Shelter for Those Who Need It
The foreign minister also said during the announcement that Mexico does not intend to provide shelter to all who are returned under the MPP.
“That is not the Mexican idea,” said Ebrard. “The ones who need it, typically families, you have to support them or whoever need but not to everyone.”
According to Ebrard, more than half of those returned under the program do not want to live in shelters. He added that many have rented rooms in houses or hotels.
Migrants from Guatemala, Mexico, El Salvador, and Honduras account for 74 percent of the cases in American immigration courts. In addition to the nationals from these countries who continue to pour into the United States, the four territories serve as the major transit corridor for migrants from more than 200 other nations traveling en route to the United States.
The Associated Press and Epoch Times reporter Ivan Pentchoukov contributed to this article.
