Migrant Caravan Advances North as US Officials Hold Talks in Mexico

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Facts

  • The head of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and other US officials met with Mexican Pres. Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Wednesday to discuss migration as thousands of migrants move north in a caravan through the southern Mexican state of Chiapas in an attempt to reach the US border.1
  • The meeting follows a phone conversation between US Pres. Joe Biden and López Obrador last week in which they both expressed the need for increased enforcement at their shared border.2
  • According to local officials, over 11K individuals are still waiting in shelters and camps on the Mexican side of the border, even while thousands of migrants enter the US illegally every day.3
  • In addition, thousands more are expected to arrive in the next few days as a large migrant caravan travels across Mexico to the US' southern border. Images and videos from the enormous march depict families making their way to the US while toting heavy crosses and belongings. An activist has cautioned that by the time the caravan reaches the border, its number may surpass 15K.4
  • US Customs and Border Patrol statistics show that the number of migrants detained at US border crossings has climbed by 31% to 69,462.5
  • The post-pandemic surge in migration has exacerbated division in Washington on the direction of US immigration policies and created problems on both sides of the US-Mexico border, disrupting bilateral trade. In the previous two fiscal years of the US government, the number of arrests for illegal crossings exceeded 2M.6

Sources: 1New York Times, 2The Business Standard, 3CNN, 4Daily Mail, 5EL PAÍS English and 6Japan Today.

Narratives

  • Democratic narrative, as provided by CNN. Mexico must do its part to halt the unprecedented surge at the US border, as the current state of migration is making conditions at the southern border untenable. Biden has rightly requested his Mexican counterpart to take further enforcement action and is attempting to get regional governments to assist with the migration flow. In the face of counterproductive GOP policies — such as Texas shipping off migrants to other cities — Biden is trying to respect human rights while simultaneously addressing the influx of migrants.
  • Republican narrative, as provided by NBC. Biden is to blame for the border crisis. He has to take the initiative to secure the border and stop the unprecedented wave of illegal immigration. The Biden administration should end the policy that permits Customs and Border Protection to release migrants without court dates, restrict parole, which permits the president to temporarily admit some migrants, and pursue agreements with third countries, such as Canada, to take in asylum seekers. In addition, the president should turn back or detain all aliens encountered between ports of entry.

Predictions