Link to article: https://apnews.com/article/mexico-migrant-transit-centers-us-a64fe4c26f95a68e6d3b6ddebc3cee49?utm_source=RecoReel&utm_medium=articlePage&utm_id=Taboola
Mexico has rejected the US’ request to set up migrant transit centers. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador says that the reason for this was because said centers belong in countries that are sources of migration, despite the amount of people who move from Mexico to America. López Obrador has stated that he wants to talk to President Biden first before anything happens. He has also expressed that he will mention the issue in the upcoming meeting of Latin American leaders, and will possibly agree to compromise. The amount of migrants going from Mexico to the US has been causing tensions between the two countries. Especially since America has been making changes with the borders, which have included closures of some train crossings due to the amount of immigrants at the border, along with additional truck inspections in Texas which have slowed operations significantly. The Mexican government sent a note regarding the closures, and have spoken openly about their disapproval of the additional inspections. Obrador says that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s choice to do this is “very irresponsible” and politically motivated. Mexico’s national freight transport chamber has reported that 19,000 delayed trucks were transporting $1.9 billion in goods. In response, The Texas Department of Public Safety has implemented their own inspections “to deter the placement of migrants and other smuggling activity” and detect suspicious vehicles.
The heightening tensions between Mexico and the US are important because of the implications that this will have for the financial state of America. The US is already sending financial aid to many other parts of the world, such as Ukraine and Palestine. Border crackdowns and new infrastructure like what has and will likely continue to be implemented at the border are costly, and the sheer amount of debt that the US is in due to the amount of money spent on foreign affairs is concerning. Especially since the recent near-shutdown of the US government. We can’t go on like this, something has to give. The rising tensions with a country so close to us is also an issue, and I don’t believe that it will be resolved soon. More and more security measures will likely be implemented before there is any settlement.
This is connected to what we are learning in class because currently we are discussing that problems, especially ones between countries, never have just one cause. The tension that is currently rising between Mexico and the US isn’t an isolated incident. The tightening of the border during Trump’s administration along with the issues with illegal immigration, drug dealing, etc are all connected when discussing the Mexico and the US’ relationship. This border problem has been an issue between the two for a long time, and this will die down in time. It is not the first border problem and it will not be the last.