The pandemic-era policy Title 42 that allowed the U.S. to expel migrants and asylum seekers back into Mexico is set to expire next week. Some believe that will lead to an uptick in the number of people traveling to the U.S.-Mexico border.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador says he doesn’t think the number of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border will go up when Title 42 expires on May 11.
Instead, he says, people will take advantage of new options to apply for refuge and family reunification from their home countries or newly announced processing centers in third countries.
Mexico’s job, he says, is to inform people of their options.
His comments come just days after Mexico struck a new deal with U.S. officials to continue accepting non-Mexican migrants and asylum seekers deported by the United States even after Title 42’s end.
The plan also includes promises to improve conditions in Central America, expand legal migration pathways and modernize ports of entry.
During the same meeting, López Obrador said, officials discuss funding for major Mexican infrastructure projects.
Hoy sostuvimos tres reuniones importantes: recibimos a Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, enviada del presidente Biden para tratar el tema migratorio con un enfoque humanista. También nos dieron la buena noticia de que la empresa Pacific Limited construirá en Sonora un gasoducto y una… pic.twitter.com/roO6igomwY
— Andrés Manuel (@lopezobrador_) May 2, 2023
