Mexico Signs Agreement With US To Deport Migrants From Border Cities

Mexico and the United States have made an agreement to ensure that the migrants present at the border cities are deported to their home countries, considering the recent surge in border crossing.

Mexican and U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials met over the weekend in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico after the illegal crossings spiked. The situation became so bad that Mexico agreed to "depressurize" its northern cities that border El Paso, San Diego, and Eagle Pass, Texas by declaring a state of emergency.

According to the agreement, Mexico and the United States will implement several measures to stop migrants from using the railway system to reach the U.S.-Mexico border.

In the last 24 hours, more than 8,600 migrants tried to cross the border, as per a Department of Homeland Security official, CNN reported.

Mayor of El Paso, Oscar Leeser, held a press conference over the weekend, noting that the city is coming to a "breaking point right now" as they have limited resources.

El Paso currently has over 6,500 migrants in custody. Deputy City Manager, Mario D'Agostino shared on Saturday that a shelter in the northeast part of the city has opened its doors for migrants. However, the shelter has a capacity of only 400 people.

D'Agostino noted that more than 2,000 migrants are reaching El Paso on a daily basis, adding that the city is expecting a "large influx" in the next couple of days.

Considering the agreement, Mexico will be taking several actions including coordination with Customs and Border Protection and Ferromex to ensure that migrants are deported via land and air.

The country will also negotiate with Venezuela, Brazil, Nicaragua, Colombia, and Cuba governments to ensure that it has received the citizens back from the US-Mexico border.

Furthermore, Mexico will also help U.S. border patrol agents remove migrants from the Ciudad Juárez International Bridge, which connects to El Paso. The country will also submit a daily report, revealing the number of migrants on the train system to Customs and Border Protection's El Paso sector.

It will also create checkpoints along the Ferromex rail route and conduct interventions on railways and highways. Mexico's National Migration Institute disclosed that from January to September, Mexico had deported over 788,000 migrants to their respective countries.

The reason behind migration towards the United States is due to violence, inflation, and lack of economic opportunities in migrants' respective countries.