Mexico Considers Deporting Rejected U.S. Immigrants to South American Countries

The Mexican government is considering a new approach to handling immigrants rejected in the United States. According to Mexican Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Alicia Bárcena, Mexico is exploring the possibility of deporting these individuals to Ecuador, Venezuela, and Colombia, in addition to the countries it already conducts deportation flights to, namely Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador.

Currently, Mexico operates six deportation flights per week to the aforementioned Central American countries. Bárcena revealed this development during a joint press conference with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington.

While the Mexican chancellor did not provide detailed information about the migration agreement, some media reports suggest that Mexico has established a new arrangement with the U.S. to expedite the deportation of immigrants stranded in border cities.

The migration situation has led to the suspension of freight train services in Mexico due to the presence of thousands of immigrants on trains and tracks. It has also resulted in demonstrations, makeshift camps along the Rio Grande at the U.S. border, and confrontations with both Mexican and American authorities.

This escalating challenge at the borders is a reflection of the “unprecedented increase in migrants in Central America and Mexico,” as highlighted by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) earlier this week.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has announced plans to visit the U.S.-Mexico border in Baja California in November, indicating the high priority placed on addressing the complex immigration issues in the region.