During today's morning press conference led by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard reported on the actions carried out by the Government of Mexico to address the increase in irregular migration from Central America and the rise in the flow of unaccompanied minors in recent months. He also referred to the agreement with the United States government to address the issue and stop the human traffickers who take advantage of migrants' needs by deceiving them.
Faced with this challenge, the Foreign Secretary explained that the President's instruction has been to ensure that Mexico's institutions protect the children. Therefore, he said, the number of people involved in this effort has increased to about 12,000, in the National Migration Institute; the National System for Integral Family Development; the health systems of various states, including Chiapas, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Tabasco, and Veracruz; and the National Guard and other agencies involved with immigration.
The Secretary also said that the federal government is taking measures to increase capacity in the various centers of the National System for Integral Family Development, because Mexican legislation does not allow children to remain in immigration stations. Therefore, the infrastructure is being expanded and steps are being taken to be even more careful in assisting and protecting the children.
The Foreign Secretary denounced the fact that children who enter Mexico at its southern border "are used as safe conduct to cross Mexico, reach the United States and, once in the United States, to obtain [some type of immigration] status." He pointed out that from February to March 2021, there was a 100 percent increase in unaccompanied migrant children due to human trafficking and migrant smuggling, a very worrying red flag for Mexico, indicating that it must take swift measures.
In addition, he stressed that migration is a shared responsibility, which is why Mexico has reached an agreement with the United States government to invest in Central America —mainly in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador— in the short term, with direct social transfers to the beneficiaries. Both countries also agreed to collaborate to stop human traffickers, since “this is something that hasn't existed in all of history; we have never seen the trafficking of minors on this scale," he emphasized.
Lastly, the Foreign Secretary noted that Mexico has made an ongoing effort to contribute to resolving the issue, with the Sowing Life and Youths Building the Future programs in Central America. He reiterated the federal government's concern for the children who travel through Mexico and said that we have to act to protect them, as President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has instructed from the beginning.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reaffirms its commitment to comprehensively managing the issue of migration and to a human rights-based immigration policy with appropriate protection for children.
