Migration flows between Mexico and the United States reached record levels in 2023. In recent weeks, 10,000 people have tried to cross the border illegally every day. A new caravan of migrants is also on the way. Faced with this crisis, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Mexico on Wednesday to try to find a solution.
Published on: December 27, 2023 – 7:14 p.m
5 minutes
They left Tapachula in southern Mexico on foot. Between 6,000 and 10,000 people from 24 different countries are currently making their way to the USA in search of a better future. This new migrant caravan set out on December 24 in the hope of being heard on the subject of the migration crisis by the American delegation expected in Mexico on Wednesday.
Washington is calling on Mexico to take measures to stem the flow of migrants from Central America, Cuba and Haiti. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said he was ready to help but wanted progress in U.S. relations with Cuba and Venezuela and an increase in development aid in the region.
10,000 crossings per day
The pace of border crossings at the Mexico-United States border has accelerated in recent weeks, with an average of 10,000 crossings per day, according to Border Patrol data. The latter contacted more than 2.4 million people from October 2022 to September 2023, a number that increased compared to previous years.
As the 2024 presidential election approaches, the migration crisis is a major issue in the United States. Republicans often point to border controls and the entry of illegal immigrants to discredit their Democratic opponents. Republican elected officials in Congress are demanding an immigration deal with Joe Biden's administration in return for their support for a new aid package for Ukraine.
“Joe Biden is stuck,” emphasizes Jérôme Viala-Gaudfroy, lecturer at Sciences-Po Saint-Germain-en-Laye and specialist in the United States. “On the one hand, he must respond to pressure from Republicans who are calling for stricter border control measures. On the other hand, he tries to solve the problem at its root. “But the actual causes of migration, especially issues of local politics and the economy, but also climate change, are very complicated to solve.”
See also refugee caravan: an issue of tension between Mexico and the United States
The end of “Title 42”
How can we explain this new influx of migrants? Until May, “Title 42” allowed the United States to immediately expel migrants without visas, including potential asylum seekers. This policy, implemented by former President Donald Trump during the Covid-19 pandemic, has been used more than 2.8 million times in three years. Its process created the illusion of a breath of fresh air for candidates for the American dream.
It was actually replaced by “Title 8,” which provided for accelerated pushbacks, coupled with a ban on new entries into the territory for five years and possible criminal prosecution. This has not stopped thousands of people from trying to reach American soil to flee insecurity, violence or precarity – the main factors pushing people to leave their country, according to data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM ) emerges.
Since the beginning of the year, more than 500,000 people have crossed the Darien jungle, a dangerous area between Colombia and Panama, to reach the United States, the Panamanian government said in early December. That number is twice as high as in 2022, when around 248,000 migrants made this dangerous journey, said Panama's Security Minister Juan Manuel Pino. According to IOM, traversing the Darien jungle poses many risks: people are sometimes left behind on muddy paths, swept away in rivers by flash floods, and exposed to theft, violence and sexual abuse.
See alsoIn the hell of the Darién jungle, the ordeal of migrants who dream of America
“Among immigrants, there is a large proportion of families who are willing to take significant risks to come to the United States,” explains Jérôme Viala-Gaudfroy. “These people know that they will have a better life there than in their country of origin.”
Repressive law in Texas
Faced with the influx of migrants at the border, some US states have taken several measures, replacing the federal government whose inaction they criticize. One of the most recent problems is Texas. The Border Patrol briefly closed railroad tracks on the Eagle Pass and El Paso bridges last week because illegal entry by freight trains was “on the rise again.”
Border crossings were also closed in Arizona and California earlier this month. U.S. officials said the closures were necessary to reassign officers and ease the processing of migrants. By closing rail traffic and thus preventing the passage of grain trade, Washington wants to put pressure on Mexico.
See also migration crisis in the USA: The wall is not stopping the influx of arrivals
The tense debate finally reached a new stage on December 18th. Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott has signed a controversial law that criminalizes illegal entry into his state. The law creates a “crime of illegal entry into Texas from a foreign country,” punishable by six months in prison or up to 20 years for repeat offenses.
This text, scheduled to come into force in March 2024, gives state authorities the authority to arrest and deport migrants to Mexico, a prerogative that generally belongs to federal authorities. Several human rights organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the law.
BREAKING: We're suing to stop Texas from enforcing the most extreme anti-immigrant law in the country.
This unconstitutional law allows Texas judges to deport people and allows police to arrest people on suspicion of immigration status.
Texas, see you in court.
– ACLU (@ACLU) December 19, 2023