Government agencies met with the governors of Mexico's southern and southeastern states (Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatan, Quintana Roo, Oaxaca and Veracruz) on July 12 in Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas. The meeting was held to discuss the progress of the government's comprehensive approach to migration in the south and implementation of the El Salvador-Guatemala-Honduras-Mexico Comprehensive Development Plan.
The meeting was chaired by the Secretaries of Foreign Affairs, Marcelo Ebrard; Interior, Olga Sánchez Cordero; Defense, General Luis Cresentio; Navy, Admiral José Rafael Ojeda; and Security, Alfonso Durazo. National Migration Institute Commissioner Francisco Garduño; the Undersecretary for Latin America and the Caribbean, Maximiliano Reyes; and the Undersecretary of Planning, Evaluation and Regional Development, Javier May, also attended.
The officials discussed the proposal made by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) on May 20. The ECLAC proposal is a diagnosis and roadmap for the El Salvador-Guatemala-Honduras-Mexico Comprehensive Development Plan, which arose from the Political Declaration signed by the four countries on December 1, 2018. The declaration stated their intent to draw up a plan for coordinating the comprehensive development of the region, based on the principles of equality and sustainability. The goal of the plan is to substantially improve the quality of life of the population and to address the migration cycle by focusing on integration, understanding the territorial dimension, and approaching human security in a way that is consistent with the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration.
The governors of Chiapas, Rutilio Escandón; Tabasco, Adán Augusto López; Campeche, Carlos Miguel Aysa; Yucatán, Mauricio Vila; Oaxaca, Alejandro Murat; Quintana Roo, Carlos Joaquín González; and Veracruz, Cuitláhuac García, said they would collaborate fully to ensure that migration is safe, orderly and legal and respectful of human rights.
The governors said they would help implement the Comprehensive Development Plan to create a dynamic and integrated region that promotes the shared prosperity of south-southeast Mexico and the countries of northern Central America by focusing on investment, trade, and energy and digital integration.
At the same time, the institutions involved in security will continue to protect and rescue immigrants to prevent them from putting themselves at risk or from becoming the victims of criminal groups involved in human trafficking.
The federal government reaffirms its readiness to work with the southern states to boost development and increase the wellbeing of all Mexicans.
