The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Alicia Bárcena Ibarra, asserted that during the administration of the current president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, a unique Mexican model of human mobility has been consolidated, which addresses structural causes and has even been able to change the narrative around migration in the United States.
During her participation in the morning press conference on August 20, the Foreign Minister sent a message to those who, she said, claim that Mexico has no foreign policy strategy, "we do have a strategy," and after explaining various key points, she emphasized that it is a legacy of the current government.
Bárcena Ibarra specified that there is currently a humanistic vision, focused on people, based on rights, and promoting fraternity, solidarity, and peaceful resolution of disputes under the principle of non-intervention.
The Secretary of Foreign Affairs abounded that the Mexican model of human mobility implemented during this administration addresses the structural, political, and economic factors of migration.
"We have changed the narrative, even in the United States, which previously did not talk about structural causes; this has been achieved thanks to President López Obrador."
As a result of this vision and an approach focused on the south, migratory flows reaching the border have decreased by 77% since December, with the Ministry of Labor expanding labor mobility with companies hiring migrants and refugees.
"We have a humanitarian management of irregular migratory flows, addressing problems in the countries of origin with programs like 'Sowing Life' and 'Youth Building the Future,' so that migration is an option and not an obligation," she reiterated.
Furthermore, foreign policy has focused on defending the country's sovereignty and self-determination, protecting and raising visibility for the Mexican community abroad, highlighting the significant contributions of Mexicans, for example, in the labor and economic sectors. In the United States, 7 out of 10 agricultural workers are Mexican.
Solidarity, Peace, and International Security
Building peace and international security has been a hallmark of this administration, with strategic litigation against arms manufacturers for facilitating gun trafficking, winning some of these cases in Arizona and Massachusetts, Alicia Bárcena highlighted.
Mexico advocates for comprehensive and lasting peace in full compliance with international law; it condemns violations of territorial integrity, denounces the arms race between nations, and seeks to actively participate in building a more just, equal, and fraternal world.
Among other points, she also highlighted Mexico's solidarity with other countries, recalling the donation of 2 million vaccines during the pandemic to 10 countries that lacked access and a policy of asylum and refuge that has provided international protection to foreign individuals whose lives, integrity, and freedom are threatened for various reasons, including political persecution. In this administration, she specified, political asylum has been granted to 82 people from Bolivia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Peru, and Venezuela.
Finally, she also spoke about the recovery of the country's heritage and historical memory with 15,000 pre-Hispanic pieces that have been returned to Mexico and participation in 10 bilateral treaties to combat the trafficking of cultural goods.