U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken thanked his Mexican counterpart, Foreign Minister Alicia Bárcena, on Wednesday for Mexico's significant efforts to curb migration at the border. Speaking before a bilateral meeting in Washington, Blinken highlighted that migration is a top priority for the United States in its relationship with Mexico, which he described as being "at its best":
"Irregular migration is obviously one of the most important examples, and there, thanks to the strong steps that Mexico has taken, the strong leadership that both President Biden and President López Obrador have shown, we've seen in this moment, at least, a dramatic decrease in the number of irregular migrants seeking to transit the border. At the same time, we're determined together to work on making sure that migration is orderly, is safe, and is humane. And I greatly appreciate everything that we've been working on together to do that."
Blinken emphasized a dramatic decrease in the number of irregular migrants attempting to cross the border, attributing this to Mexico's efforts. The meeting occurred during the Alliance for the Prosperity of the Americas (APEP) summit in Washington, D.C.
Foreign Minister Bárcena noted that the Mexican government has been working with other countries in the region since many migrants come from Central and South America. She also mentioned Mexico's progress in stopping the flow of fentanyl into the U.S. and disrupting the supply chain of its precursors:
"And I have to say that also on fentanyl, we have made a lot of progress because your global alliance that you created – and we are part of it, a very integral part of it – we are working very hard to stop the value chain of the precursors of fentanyl, and we are making a lot of progress in Mexico to avoid and to stop that from coming the way to the U.S. And Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is very firm that the relationship with your government, with President Biden, has been absolutely fabulous, and we have been able to work on migration, on fentanyl, on security, on arms trafficking, and now on America – on prosperity, on this joint economic prosperity that we're building together."
Mexican authorities have increased controls on roads and trains used by migrants, complicating their journey to the United States. Additionally, Mexico has significantly increased the detention of migrants within its territory, often before they reach the U.S. border.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), 88,612 people were arrested for attempting to cross into the U.S. irregularly in June, a 29% decrease from May. This figure is similar to the approximately 90,000 arrests recorded in January 2021. On June 5, the Biden administration implemented several changes at the border, limiting the ability of most unauthorized entrants to seek asylum, with few exceptions.
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