Tuesday, January 05, 2021

Mexico eyes plan to deal with migrants left by Trump policies

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The Mexican government said on Monday it would come up with a plan to deal with migrants stuck in the country as a result of outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump's policies, while stressing that Mexico is not to blame for the flows of people.

© Reuters/DANIEL BECERRIL Migrants rest in an improvised shelter set up outside the Posada Belen migrant shelter, which is closed due to an outbreak of the coronavirus disease COVID-19, in Saltillo

© Reuters/GUSTAVO GRAF MALDONADO FILE PHOTO: Mexico Interior Minister Olga Sanchez Cordero holds a news conference in Mexico City

The interior ministry said it and the foreign ministry would work out how to deal with migrants left inside the country by Trump's so-called Remain in Mexico policy after U.S. President-elect Joe Biden pledged to dismantle the program.
© Reuters/DANIEL BECERRIL Migrant walks with food in their hands at Posada Belen migrant shelter, before being closed due to an outbreak of the coronavirus disease COVID-19, in Saltillo

Mexico would work with the governments of the United States, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador to address the migration challenge, Interior Minister Olga Sanchez told a meeting of ambassadors, according to comments shared by the government.

"We're not the cause of the problem, but we reiterate our willingness to be part of the solution," she said.


Video: Hundreds of Cubans protest at Mexico border, seeking entry to US (AFP)


Under Remain in Mexico, migrants with U.S. asylum claims have stayed in Mexico while their requests are processed.

"We will formulate a plan for the migrants still in Mexico with this program," Sanchez said, without elaborating. "It's foreseeable that in the distant future, there will be an increase in the flow of migrants trying to get to the United States via Mexico."
© Reuters/DANIEL BECERRIL A general view shows the home of Honduran migrant Glenda Troches, which she adapted as a migrant shelter during the outbreak of the coronavirus desease COVID-19 in Saltillo

Meanwhile, as Mexico celebrated its accession to the United Nations Security Council as a nonpermanent member, the government said it would work to crack down on arms trafficking, an issue it has often pressed upon Washington.

Mexico will sit on the Security Council from 2021 to 2022.

(Reporting by Raul Cortes Fernandez in Mexico City; Writing by Cassandra Garrison; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
© Reuters/DANIEL BECERRIL Migrants take caffee outside the Posada Belen migrant shelter, which is closed due to an outbreak of the coronavirus disease COVID-19, in Saltillo

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