President Trump and his administration have done everything they can to get public to believe that Mexico isn't doing enough to stop immigration on their end of the border. In fact, the President has been spending the last few weeks threatening to enforce tariffs on Mexican goods to send a message to the country’s President, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. Below, we debunk some of the myths about Mexico’s efforts to deal with immigration along the U.S. border.
Myth #1: Mexico Isn’t Responding to Central American Migrants Crossing its Border
Mexico's interior ministry claims its authorities patrolling the border have deported 80,537 people since December 2018. Compared to the last six months, that’s a 33% increase.
Maureen Meyer, who is director for Mexico and migrant rights at the Washington Office on Latin America, said the following about the efforts made by Mexican authorities, “They are certainly responding in a different way to the flow of people coming through Mexico. We've seen, actually, in recent weeks even more announcements of a crackdown in southern Mexico, and them even raiding a few hotels."
Myth #2: Most Illegal Immigrants Coming to the U.S. Are Mexican
Statistics from U.S. Customs and Border Protection show that the majority of single adults crossing the border illegally are from Mexico. However, that number is significantly lower than the number of family members apprehended by Border Patrol.
According to Myer, “These are not the single, male Mexican border-crossers that we saw in the '90s and 2000s. There's a very different face of migrants that, as we've seen at the border, presents a lot of different challenges.”
Contrary to what the Trump administration has claimed, more Mexicans are actually leaving the U.S than entering.
Myth #3: Mexico Is a Pro-Immigrant Country
This broad generalization has no merit because Mexico’s opinion on immigration matters is as mixed up as the United States. Meyer claims that support for immigrants is on the decline due to Central Americans traveling in caravans through the country. According to one public opinion survey from El Universal newspaper, 48% of respondents were in favor of undocumented Central American immigrants being granted passage into Mexico for refuge, while almost 38% were against it. A third of the people who took the survey felt undocumented migrants should be immediately expelled from Mexico.
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At Guerra Sáenz, PL, our experienced team of immigration lawyers have a built a stellar reputation for providing clients with exceptional guidance in their immigration cases. We know that misinformation spread by the Trump administration is making it harder for immigrants who are trying to enter the country legally, which is why we are here to assist you with all of your immigration matters. If you need help with your immigration case, stop by our law office to speak with a member of our team.
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