Priority Plan for Orderly Migration in Latin America, Says Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Bárcena

The head of Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Alicia Bárcena, stated this Tuesday that Mexico must become a better destination for migrants and seek to integrate them into the country's businesses, as this phenomenon will not cease.

At the "Hemispheric Meeting on Regular Pathways for Labor Migration," the Mexican Foreign Minister also took the opportunity to discuss with Latin American delegations in the capital the need to develop a plan for orderly migration and to address the root causes of this phenomenon in Latin American countries.

“What we need to achieve is mutual understanding so that migration is humane and to combat human traffickers. For the first time, the United States is talking about structural causes because we believe that migration stems from marginalization,” explained the Foreign Minister.

She added that cooperation programs with countries like El Salvador and Guatemala are needed to mitigate the migration phenomenon and solve, if possible, the underlying problems so that people in these regions do not have to emigrate.

Alicia Bárcena assured that after two days of working with different delegations from Latin America, Canada, and the United States, agreements will be reached to ensure that the mobility policy they seek will span multiple administrations.

"We are convinced that this human mobility strategy will transcend administrations, becoming a state policy under the coordination of foreign relations. With more than 2.5 million people crossing through Mexico and the country having the highest number of asylum requests in its history, Mexico wants to become a better destination," she said.

According to the Foreign Ministry, the ministerial meeting aims to expand employment opportunities for people on the move, promoting orderly, safe, regular, and humane migration and invigorating regional labor markets.