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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 12, 2022
CONTACT:
Elyssa Pachico | +1 503 347 23 29 | press@alianzaamericas.org
Myneilles Negron | +1 703 585 6727 | mynellies@communicationsshop.us
In response to the meeting that took place today between President Joe Biden and President Andres Manuel López Obrador, Alianza Americas, a coalition of 58 migrant-led organizations across 18 states, released the following reaction.
“U.S.-Mexico migration policies are fueling violence, enabling human traffickers to prey on people who migrate, and creating a desperate humanitarian situation at the U.S.-Mexico border,” said Rita Robles, coordinator for Mexico at Alianza Americas. “The emphasis on deterrence and deportation will only lead to more tragedies, like the one seen recently in San Antonio Texas. To demonstrate a commitment to humane migration policies, the U.S. government must fully restore access to asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border by swiftly winding down ‘Remain in Mexico’ and ending the Title 42 policy.”
“President López Obrador should advocate for the right of Mexicans in the United States, especially those residing there without visas,” added Robles. “At the very least, and knowing that changing U.S. laws is up to the US Congress, the Mexican president should advocate for administrative measures intended to protect Mexican nationals from detention and deportation.”
Mexican migrants now make up the majority of encounters by U.S. border authorities. Notably, the majority of the victims who died in the San Antonio truck tragedy were Mexican nationals. This context adds to the urgent need for the U.S. and Mexican governments to work in partnership, in order to respond to the inequities driving migration, Alianza Americas said.
“The Mexican government is falling short in providing the majority of its citizens with the economic, social, and security opportunities needed to live dignified lives in Mexico. This is Mexico’s greatest challenge, and addressing these inequities needs to be at the center of the U.S.-Mexico partnership,” said Oscar Chacón, executive director of Alianza Americas.
In a letter that 87 human rights organizations, including Alianza Americas, sent to Biden and AMLO, advocates urged the U.S. and Mexico to act as “leaders in the protection of migrants” in part by “creating and increasing alternative and additional pathways to migration.”
“An ideal follow-up to this meeting would be to see clear and concrete action in creating more legal avenues for migration, as one way of addressing the acute labor shortage in the United States,” said Robles. “However, any agreement around temporary worker visa programs must place the rights and safety of foreign workers at the center. We need to avoid the long-existing problems and abuses that have characterized these programs in the past.”
Mexico is on track to register its second-highest year on record for asylum applications, pointing to the urgent need for the Mexican government to invest additional resources into its refugee agency. (Explore Alianza Americas’ data on the erosion of asylum in the Americas here).
“The Mexican government must increase access to protection and safety for people who migrate, including by providing additional resources to refugee agency COMAR,” said Robles.
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Alianza Americas is the premier transnational advocacy network of Latin American migrant-led organizations working in the United States, across the Americas, and globally to create an inclusive, equitable and sustainable way of life for communities across North, Central and South America. Alianza’s digital organizing powerhouse is Presente.org.
