US Sends Special Envoy to Mexico to Discuss Immigrant Issues... Requests Strengthened Enforcement

Mexico Increases Troops at Border... Military Parade Held
US Exchanges Vaccines for Immigrant Control... Humanitarian Groups Protest

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The Joe Biden administration in the United States has dispatched envoys to the Mexican government, requesting that they strengthen the crackdown on immigrants crossing the border. In response to the U.S. request, the Mexican government has significantly increased border enforcement personnel while reportedly securing promises of economic and vaccine support. Although the Biden administration, which pledged to repeal the anti-immigration policies of the previous Donald Trump administration, faces backlash from humanitarian groups accusing it of trading vaccines for immigrants' lives, even the Democratic Party is opposing pro-immigration policies as the number of immigrants at the U.S. border surges.

According to foreign media including The Washington Post (WP) on the 23rd (local time), senior officials from the Biden administration were dispatched as envoys to discuss immigration issues with Mexico and reportedly requested the Mexican government to further strengthen border enforcement against immigrants crossing illegally. WP reported that the Mexican government increased its forces by about 8,700 personnel at the border with Guatemala and held a military parade to showcase the troop deployment in response to the U.S. request.

The British daily The Guardian reported that the Mexican government secured promises of vaccine cooperation and economic support from the U.S. in exchange for increasing border forces and strengthening border enforcement. Mexican President Andr?s Manuel L?pez Obrador stated at a press conference that "immigrants are not going to the U.S. for leisure" and emphasized, "To stop immigrants, fundamental economic support from the U.S. to Central and South American countries is urgently needed."

Earlier, the U.S. government had rejected Mexico's request for COVID-19 vaccines, stating that domestic vaccinations should take priority, but as the border issue worsened, it reportedly proposed support including vaccine supply to the Mexican government.

The U.S. change in stance is interpreted as a result of the surge of immigrants at the border, which has sharply increased the occupancy rates of immigrant shelters in the border area. According to the U.S. political media outlet The Hill, the current number of unaccompanied minor immigrants in the U.S. is 4,200, a fivefold increase compared to last month, and the occupancy rate of shelters in Texas's Rio Grande Valley has reached 363%, indicating a rapid rise in illegal immigrant numbers.

Humanitarian organizations inside and outside the U.S. criticize the Biden administration for ostensibly announcing pro-immigration policies while colluding with Mexico to strengthen border surveillance. However, even within the U.S. Democratic Party, opposition to pro-immigration policies remains high. U.S. ABC News forecasted that "Among the 17 executive orders signed immediately after President Biden's inauguration, six are pro-immigration policies, but the likelihood of these bills passing in Congress is low."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.