Mexico’s increased efforts to stop migrants who have crossed its southern border has helped blunt the surge of crossings usually seen at the U.S.-Mexico border at this time of year. According to U.S. officials, Mexico is stopping nearly three times as many migrants in the country as it did a year ago — and in March, more migrants were stopped inside Mexico than in the U.S.
Early last year, Mexico interdicted roughly 100,000 migrants per month at its southern border or inside the country, and the U.S. was apprehending more than 193,000 migrants monthly at the U.S.-Mexico border. In March of this year, more than 280,000 migrants were stopped inside Mexico, and 189,000 were stopped in the U.S., according to figures obtained by NBC News.
Customs and Border Protection officials said April’s figures, which have yet to be publicly released, are expected to continue to show relatively low numbers compared to the seasonal uptick usually seen in April and May.
The high numbers of migrants stopped in Mexico show how chaotic the U.S. border could become if Mexico cannot sustain its interdiction efforts. Another spike in border crossings could hurt President Joe Biden in the coming election, especially as former President Donald Trump claims his administration was more successful at controlling the border.
U.S. officials say Mexico’s willingness to interdict more migrants is in large part due to increased dialogue between the two countries on issues such as immigration, fentanyl and illegal firearms tracking. But the Biden administration is not the first to work jointly with Mexico to address migration and other border issues.
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