Mexican authorities took action on Wednesday to dismantle a migrant encampment situated along the Rio Grande riverbank, while their American counterparts met with the president of Mexico to advocate for restrictions on the influx of migrants approaching the southwestern border of the United States.
Tuesday marked the beginning of the removal of occupied and unoccupied shelters from the encampment in the border city of Matamoros, Texas, which is located across from Brownsville. The operation, which was supported by machete-wielding laborers and bulldozers, continued in Mexico City on Wednesday while U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
López Obrador has expressed a willingness to assist, but he requires additional development aid for the region and improved relations between the United States and Cuba and Venezuela, two of the largest migrant sources.
However, it appeared that Mexico’s foremost objective was to convince the United States to reopen border crossings that had been closed due to the influx of migrants.
“We discussed the economic relationship and the significance of the border,” Foreign Relations Secretary Alicia Bárcena said after the meeting in Mexico City, which also included the presence of U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and homeland security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall. “Reopening the border crossings is a top priority for us.”
Daily arrests of up to 10,000 migrants along the southwestern U.S. border occurred this month. It has been difficult for the United States to house and process thousands of migrants who arrive in northern communities after they cross the border.
The United States temporarily closed two vital Texas railroad junctions last week, citing the need to reallocate border patrol agents in response to the influx. This action had a negative impact on Mexican industries. An additional non-rail border crossing in Lukeville, Arizona, remained closed, and operations in San Diego and Nogales, Arizona, were partially suspended.
