President Andr\u00e9s Manuel L\u00f3pez Obrador and U.S. National Security Advisor Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall met Tuesday in Mexico City and announced a joint commitment to expand \u201clegal pathways\u201d of entry into the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Obrador said the countries were taking \u201cadditional measures to address the humanitarian situation caused by the unprecedented migratory flows on our shared border and in the region,\u201d including \u201cimproving their efforts in Central America to address the root causes of migration and expand legal pathways\u201d into the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The U.S. Departments of Homeland Security and State announced they were opening regional processing centers in \u201ckey locations throughout the Western Hemisphere to reduce irregular migration and facilitate safe, orderly, humane, and lawful pathways from the Americas.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first centers will open in several countries, including Colombia and Guatemala. Foreign nationals will be able to make appointments using their phone to go to the centers before ever leaving for Mexico or the U.S. Once there, an \u201cimmigration specialist\u201d will interview them and if the specialist determines they are eligible, will process them \u201crapidly for lawful pathways to the United States, Canada, and Spain,\u201d according to the new policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Obrador reaffirmed his commitment to the plan, saying, \u201cIn particular, Mexico and the United States will redouble their development efforts focused on people-to-people support.\u201d Mexico also recognizes \u201cthe great potential value of the regional processing centers that the United States announced last week, and discussed how our country can contribute to their effectiveness,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also praised the United States\u2019 commitment to receive over \u201c100,000 people from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador under the family reunification permit program that Secretary Mayorkas announced last week.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Obrador said he and President Joe Biden are committed to expanding \u201clegal pathways with consequences for irregular migration,\u201d claiming they\u2019ve already \u201cachieved a 95 percent reduction in arrivals of undocumented people \u2013 of the nationalities included in the program \u2013 at our shared border.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, CBP data contradicts this claim, with nearly 270,000 apprehensions and gotaways reported at the southwest border alone in March. Likewise, thousands have already arrived in El Paso, prompting the city to declare a state of emergency ahead of the U.S. Title 42 public health authority ending May 11. Roughly 40,000 people are waiting in Mexico to initially enter El Paso, its mayor said, with more expected to follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Obrador also praised the Biden administration for continuing to accept \u201cpeople from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela under the humanitarian program. For its part, Mexico will continue to accept migrants back on humanitarian grounds.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After halting construction of the U.S. border wall and canceling funding for CBP\u2019s tethered aerostat radar system, a critical tool agents use to detect goataways, the Biden administration is financing expansion of one of Mexico\u2019s ports of entry to \u201cmodernize\u201d its shared border with Mexico.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The project is expected to be completed by the end of the year,\u00a0Obrador said, which is \u201ca step that will benefit the Mexican and U.S. economies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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