MEXICO CITY: The United States and Mexico vowed on Thursday to step up efforts to tackle flows of migrants and drugs, setting aside signs of friction over a United States plan to extend a controversial border wall.
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador criticized the announcement by the US that it would add to the barrier that was a signature policy of ex-president Donald Trump, calling it a “setback,” according to AFP.
It does not resolve the issue. The causes of migration should be addressed, he told journalists shortly before meeting Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the National Palace.
Antony Blinken was accompanied by a delegation including Attorney General Merrick Garland and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for the high-level security talks.
Blinken said that the synthetic opioid fentanyl continues to devastate families on both sides of the border. We have a responsibilty to do everything in our power to combat this scourge.
On migration, the Bliken said the scale of the challenge demands to redouble the efforts through steps such as increasing legal migration pathways, modernizing border security, and addressing the root causes.
Mayorkas said the two nations were committed to expanding orderly, safe, and lawful pathways for migrants but with strict results for those who do not use lawful means to enter the US.
He said that those consequences include the swift return of migrants, swift repatriation, and a ban on their re-entry.
US president under pressure
With US President Joe Biden under pressure to halt border crossings as he tries for reelection, Washington announced on Thursday that it would resume deportation flights to Venezuela after an agreement with Caracas.
Over 8,200 migrants have died or disappeared in the Americas since 2014, most of them while trying to reach the US via Mexico, according to the International Organization for Migration.
The US saw a record of nearly 110,000 drug overdose deaths between March 2022 and March 2023, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Fentanyl accounted for some two-thirds of them.
