Mexico is detaining nearly three times as many migrants now, helping keep U.S. border crossings low

Mexico is detaining nearly three times as many migrants crossing its southern border as it did a year ago, a trend that U.S. authorities say has helped mitigate the surge in U.S. border crossings typically seen at this time of year.

Biden administration officials also point to Mexico’s growing aid to slow migration as evidence that its relationship with its southern neighbors is more effective than that of the Trump administration.

Former President Donald Trump mocked President Joe Biden’s record and claimed his administration was more successful in controlling the border.

At the beginning of last year, Mexico was interdicting about 100,000 migrants per month at its southern border or within Mexico, while the US was detaining more than 193,000 migrants monthly at the US-Mexico border. This year, more migrants are being detained in Mexico than in the US, with more than 280,000 detained in Mexico and 189,000 in the US in March, according to data obtained by NBC News.

The Mexican government does not publicly release its migrant interdiction numbers like the U.S. does.

The high number of migrants detained in Mexico shows how chaotic the US border could become if Mexico is unable to sustain its interdiction efforts. Another increase in border crossings could hurt Biden in the next election.

According to Customs and Border Protection officials, the April numbers, which have not yet been released publicly, are expected to continue to show relatively low numbers compared to the seasonal increase typically seen in April and May.

It is not known how many of the migrants intercepted by Mexico are actually deported. Many migrants are detained by Mexican authorities at the Guatemala-Mexico border and immediately returned to Guatemala, immigration advocates told NBC News.

Many others are being detained in northern Mexico and transported by bus to the far south of the country. From there, they can’t use the CBP One app on their cell phones to make asylum appointments in the U.S., as the app doesn’t work south of Mexico City, said Amy Fischer, director of refugee and migrant rights at Amnesty International. USA. .

“In some ways, they are doing the U.S.’s dirty work to prevent people from accessing the U.S. southern border and exercising their right to seek safety,” Fischer said.

Certain groups, such as unaccompanied children and migrants traveling as a family, receive special protection under Mexican law that limits their deportation.

U.S. officials say Mexico’s willingness to interdict more migrants, a costly process, is largely due to increased dialogue between the two countries on issues such as immigration, fentanyl and illegal firearms trafficking.

Both Biden and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, known as AMLO, acknowledged the severity of the problem late last year, when Mexico’s funding to stop migrants dried up and the number of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border reached record levels.

In late December, Biden called López Obrador and sent Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Mexico to meet with their counterparts.

Since then, Mexico has interdicted at least 270,000 migrants per month.

“President Biden and President AMLO have developed a relationship in which they talk about shared challenges [of migration], and both jointly recognize common challenges,” said a senior Biden administration official. “They have had several conversations and several calls over the last few years to address and talk about this issue.”

The Trump administration threatened Mexico with increased tariffs and trade disruptions if it did not comply with policies like Remain in Mexico, which forced immigrants seeking asylum in the U.S. to wait in squalid conditions in northern Mexico.

“We treat Mexico with respect, as an equal sovereign,” said the senior Biden administration official. “That’s a difference in this government’s approach.”

A story of cooperation

The Biden administration is not the first to work together with Mexico to address migration and other border issues.

In 2008, during the George W. Bush administration, the Mérida Initiative — a security agreement between the US and Mexico — was launched to reduce violence and combat drug trafficking. Congress approved $1.5 billion for the initiative over two years, allowing for the purchase of equipment such as helicopters and other aircraft to support Mexican authorities’ efforts.

During the Obama administration, the U.S. and Mexico expanded cooperation to include combating transnational criminal organizations, providing forensic equipment and training to Mexican authorities, and improving immigration enforcement in Mexico.

The Trump administration has focused on reducing the production of synthetic drugs and improving border closures and port security. In 2018, he reportedly wanted to pay Mexico $20 million to help deport thousands of migrants who entered Mexico hoping to reach the US. according to CNN It is The New York Timesit would be used to finance bus and plane tickets to send migrants back to their home countries.

In 2019, Trump stopped threatening tariffs against Mexico after it agreed to crack down on crossings of its southern border. Mexico sent 6,000 soldiers to its border with Guatemala to intercept migrants.

During the Biden administration, the US and Mexico announced a new security cooperation agreement in 2021 called the Bicentennial Framework. The Bicentennial Framework replaced the Mérida Initiative and emphasized preventing cross-border crime, minimizing human and arms trafficking, and disrupting illicit drug supply chains.