Mexico Will Continue Protecting Rights of Migrants: Ministry

Mexico is dedicated to implementing its new migration policy and protecting human rights, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) said Monday after the New York Times accused the nation of complying with U.S. border plans.

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On March 1, an article written by NY Times journalists Azam Ahmed and Kirk Semple claimed that Mexican officials were preventing caravans from traveling to border-crossing points, thereby “undermining the Mexican government's promises to defend migrants and support them in their search for a better life.”

The article continued on to say that, despite its promises to support refugees, Mexico has allowed the U.S. to return over 120 migrants to Tijuana.

The foreign ministry denounced these claims, saying, "Mexico respects the sovereign right of the United States to execute its migratory projects, but acts and will acts in a sovereign and independent way when establishing our own migration policy.

"For humanitarian reasons and temporarily, the Government of Mexico has authorized the entry of some asylum seekers from the United States while their hearing is held with corresponding authorities. The alternative, the deportation of our country, would imply denying the right of asylum that the Government of Mexico subscribes and protects,” the SRE said.

Mexico was one of the first nations to adopt the Global Pact for Migration proposed by the United Nations to guarantee a safe, orderly and regular flow of migrants.

Due to the new migration policy, over 13,000 foreigners have been granted legal status and have entered the labor market, giving back to Mexico’s economy, the ministry said.

Additional exciting accomplishments are expected to emerge from the integral Development Plan which investigates various economic ventures to boost the conditions of life in Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. The project is being promoted by the Economic Commission for Latin American and the Caribbean in the hopes of mitigating the structural factors behind the increased rate of emigration.