Mexico says it has kept its promise to US to curb migrant flow
In June, Mexico deployed national guard police to reduce migration from Central America to be the US.
Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said on Friday that Mexico has followed through on its commitment to the United States to reduce migration from Central America, as a bilateral-pact deadline approaches.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is scheduled to travel to Mexico City to discuss migration and trade with Ebrard on Sunday, a day before the end of a 45-day period in which the Mexican government pledged to significantly lower the number of people trying to cross the US border between official ports of entry.
Mexico struck the deal in June to avert punitive trade tariffs. Under the deal, if the US deems that Mexico has not done enough, the two countries will begin talks over changing rules that will require asylum seekers apply for refuge in Mexico, not the US.
Mexico has long resisted US pressure to accept this so-called “safe third country” status.
The number of apprehensions of migrants on the southern US border dropped by roughly a third to about 100,000 in June, after Mexico deployed some 21,000 militarised National Guard police to stem the flows.
“We have complied [with the deal], so I don’t see a problem,” Ebrard said.
Speaking to reporters in El Salvador, Ebrard also said Mexico had fulfilled its pledge to support economic development in Central America. He questioned whether the US had kept up its end of the bargain, however.