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1 1 (March 13, 2023)

handle is hein.crs/govekwj0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Mex Congressional Research Service nformingqth legislative debatesince 1914 Mexico's Immigration Control Efforts Background Migration issues continue to be a high priority for U.S. policy and Congress, particularly as U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has reported record numbers of migrant encounters on the Southwest border. Mexico, like the United States, has struggled to deal with large numbers of migrants, especially families and unaccompanied minors, many of whom seek asylum. Mexican President Andres Manuel L6pez Obrador has accommodated U.S. policies that have shifted some of the burden of interdicting migrants and hosting asylum seekers from the United States to Mexico. It is unclear, however, how Mexico will respond to any further changes in U.S. asylum policies that may affect Mexico. Increases in U.S.-bound migration through Mexico have strained Mexican government resources and placed migrants at risk of harm. Historically, migrants entering Mexico have emigrated mostly from the Northern Triangle countries of Central America (El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras). Since the Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic, the number of migrants entering Mexico from regions beyond Central America has increased substantially. In 2022, for the first time, Mexican authorities apprehended more migrants from the Caribbean and South America than from the Northern Triangle (see Figure 1). Figure I. Mexico: Reported Apprehensions of Unauthorized Migrants by Region of Origin: 20 17-2022 450K 400K 350K 300K 250K OHR 200K SO T H CA 150K 100K EA*B~ N 50K 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Source: CRS, based on information from Mexico's Secretary of the Interior. Mexk s Immigration Control Policies Since 2014, with support from the United States, Mexico has established naval bases on its rivers, security cordons north of its borders with Guatemala and Belize, and drone surveillance in border regions. Unarmed agents from the National Migration Institute (INM) have increased operations along train routes and at bus stations, improved infrastructure at border crossings, and set up mobile highway checkpoints. The agency reportedly conducts Updated March 13, 2023 biometric screening of migrants at detention centers using equipment supplied by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). INM also has sought to professionalize its workforce and to improve coordination with customs and federal, state, and local security forces. Despite reform efforts, INM retains a reputation for corruption and weak observance of migrant protections. As a result, migrants remain vulnerable to crime and other abuses. In 2018, President L6pez Obrador took office pledging to adopt a humanitarian approach to migration and to promote development in Central America as a solution to unauthorized migration. The government's record in these areas is mixed. For example, the Commission for the Aid of Refugees (COMAR) has remained underfunded and retains a large backlog of asylum cases. Observers also have questioned the effectiveness of Mexico's contribution to Sembrando Oportunidades (Sowing Opportunities), a U.S.- Mexico development program to address the root causes of irregular migration from the Northern Triangle. Since 2019, L6pez Obrador has taken a harder line toward migration, in part due to U.S. pressure. His government has increased migrant apprehensions and restricted access to humanitarian visas, particularly for those traveling in large groups (caravans). As during prior enforcement surges, migrants have taken more dangerous routes and increased their reliance on smugglers. After Mexico deployed its new National Guard for migration enforcement, reports of mistreatment of migrants rose. In a January 2021 operation against migrant smugglers, state police reportedly killed 19 people, including Guatemalan migrants, near the U.S. border. Since 2021, Mexico has sought to keep asylum seekers in southern Mexico despite dire conditions there. Mexico also has enforced new visa requirements for those from Brazil, Ecuador, and Venezuela, and increased expulsions. Humanitarian Protecton jn Mexico Mexico has a broader definition of refugee than the United States and the 1951 U.N. Refugee Convention; Mexico recognizes a right to asylum based on generalized violence; foreign aggression; internal conflicts; massive violations of human rights; and other circumstances leading to a serious disturbance of public order. As a result, many of the migrants arriving in Mexico from the Northern Triangle and elsewhere could qualify as refugees under Mexican law. Asylum requests tripled in Mexico from 2017 to 2019, declined in 2020 due to the pandemic, and have surged since 2021 (Figure 2). With support from the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), COMAR reduced the asylum request backlog in 2020 before again struggling to meet record demand in 2021. In 2022, Mexico received

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