Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has revealed that he asked the U.S. government to grant visas to at least 10 million Hispanic migrants who have worked in the country for more than 10 years, along with an investment plan to promote "development" in Latin America and the Caribbean.
"Instead of pointing out that nothing is being done in Mexico to stop migrants, or unreasonably accusing our country, what U.S. lawmakers should be doing is approving a plan for the development of the peoples of Latin America," said López Obrador, also known as AMLO, in his press conference this Friday (January 5).
AMLO said he made these statements during the visit of senior Biden administration officials to Mexico in late December 2023 to address the issue of the massive arrival of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border.
On December 27, the U.S. Secretaries of State and Homeland Security, Antony Blinken and Alejandro Mayorkas, sat down with AMLO to discuss the surge in migrants at the border. They were joined by White House Homeland Security Advisor Liz Sherwood-Randall.
The U.S. officials discussed "unprecedented irregular migration in the Western Hemisphere" as well as paths to address challenges at the border and reopen ports of entry, according to a statement from the State Department.
"They were there, and from that day until yesterday, the decrease in migrants is considerable due to some actions that were carried out," AMLO said.
The Mexican president assured that he included in his proposals to the government of Canada in order to 'regularize the migratory situation' and 'not allow the exploitation of workers.'
"We are proposing to the friends of the U.S. and Canadian governments ... that migrants be regularized, starting with those who have been working honestly in the U.S. for more than 10 years," AMLO said.
Regarding economic support for the region, AMLO mentioned that since the Kennedy administration, there has not been a development and integration plan for the region. He proposed that the U.S. Congress present an investment plan of 20 billion dollars.
The Mexican president also stated that he proposed to the U.S. authorities that the U.S. should suspend the 'blockade' of Cuba and stop 'sacrificing a people' for political and ideological interests. He also suggested lifting all sanctions against Venezuela.
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