EFE (via 14ymedio), Mexico, 2 October 2023 — Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, reported on Monday the arrival of up to 16,000 migrants per day on the northern and southern borders of the country in the last migratory wave.
“In recent times, through the Darién [Jungle], which is a very dangerous area, up to 4,000 migrants to the south of Mexico passed through the borders of Colombia and Panama. Now, on the border of Chiapas, the number has increased to 6,000 per day, and last week (the figure) reached 10,000 migrants per day on the northern border,” he said.
His statements come amid the “unprecedented increase in migrants in Central America and Mexico,” as the International Organization for Migration (IOM) warned last week.
The Mexican Government gave these figures while commenting on the accident that left 10 migrants dead and 15 injured, mostly from Cuba, in a traffic accident in the Mexican municipality of Pijijiapan, 93.2 miles from the border city of Tapachula, in the southern state of Chiapas.
The Mexican Government gave these figures while commenting on the accident that left 10 migrants dead and 15 injured, mostly from Cuba
Mexican President López Obrador recognized that migrants “pass through Mexico with many risks: violations of their human rights, gangs that kidnap migrants, murders and misfortunes due to accidents in transport because they hire trucks in poor condition, trailers.”
Mexico is experiencing a new migratory wave in recent weeks, as shown by the suspension of freight trains due to the presence of thousands of migrants on the cars and the tracks, demonstrations at the borders, camps on the Rio Grande on the border with the U.S. and clashes with Mexican and American authorities.
In this context, the president raised his demand that “together with the Government of the United States, a plan be carried out for development, for cooperation, for the benefit of the peoples of Central America, the Caribbean and other Latin American countries.”
“Deep down, it is the need to go out and look for life, find work and well-being, and those causes must be addressed. There should not only be arrest or coercive measures like building walls, which occurred to one U.S. president,” he said.
The president pointed out that this week a U.S. delegation formed by the Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, the Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, and the Attorney General, Merrick Garland, will arrive in the Mexican capital.
In addition, he reiterated that he will meet with foreign ministers from countries sending migrants to bring a proposal to the U.S. President, Joe Biden, at a possible meeting in Washington.
“We are going to have a meeting with U.S. officials and also with foreign ministers from neighboring countries to discuss the current migration issue and address the causes, which is what we have always done, because we are helping,” he concluded.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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