Mexico’s largest ever migration crackdown has been underway since September, with the country’s immigration agents detaining hundreds of migrants at remote military checkpoints in the desert. The migrants are then bused or flown to southern states, far from the U.S. border. This effort aims to tire migrants so they give up before reaching U.S. territory.
According to public data and conversations with U.S. and Mexican officials, Mexico’s crackdown has led to a significant decrease in the number of migrants caught by U.S. authorities at the border. This reduction has taken some heat off an issue that polls show voters trust Republican candidate Donald Trump more than his Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris.
The Biden administration’s efforts to keep migrants from reaching the U.S.-Mexico border have been crucial in this decrease, with the administration implementing a broad asylum ban and working with other countries in Central America. Panama started regular deportation flights for migrants caught crossing the Darien jungle in August, part of these efforts.
However, Mexico’s efforts have also been criticized by some experts and migrants who claim that the busing program is an “illegal practice.” They argue that migrants are being transported without proper documentation or access to consular services. Some cases have emerged where migrants were detained and transported without any record of their detention until reaching the destination in the south.
The Mexican government has denied funding from the U.S. for its migration program, but the exact source of the funding remains unclear. The foreign ministry said that the U.S. closures on its southern border responded mainly to internal security issues and were not aimed at pressuring Mexico.
In response to Reuters questions, INM (National Migration Institute) said it carries out immigration control actions “by air, sea and land.” However, they did not answer specific questions about the number of migrants, their nationalities, or custody conditions during transportation. The busing program has been criticized for violating immigration and custody rules.
Source: Reuters
