Immigrants from Central America and Mexican citizens queue to cross into the US to apply for asylum
MEXICO CITY, Sept 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Mexican Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said that Mexico’s government doesn’t agree with an “astonishing” US Supreme Court order that would block migrants from countries other than Mexico and Canada from applying for asylum at US borders.
Speaking at President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s daily news conference, Ebrard said that Mexico has a different policy when it comes to asylum seekers and would never implement such a rule.
“Our policy of refuge, of asylum is a tradition in Mexico,” he said.
The US Supreme Court on Wednesday granted a request by the Trump administration to fully enforce a new rule that would curtail asylum applications by immigrants at the US-Mexico border.
The court said the rule, which requires most immigrants who want asylum to first seek safe haven in a third country through which they had travelled on their way to the United States, could go into effect as litigation challenging its legality continues.
“The United States has a very hardline immigration policy,” Ebrard continued. “The court’s decision is astonishing in the impact that it is going to have.”
Mexico has long resisted a so-called safe third country agreement with the US that would require migrants to request asylum there first, but the court’s decision appears to have unilaterally brought about the same result.
Mexico announced that it had reduced the flow of migrants arriving at its northern border by 56 percent in three months, and it has said that it’s beginning to invest in the Central American countries responsible for the majority of the migrants.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said this week she was concerned that immigration policies implemented in Mexico, the US and some Central American countries “are putting migrants at heightened risk of human rights violations and abuses”.
Asked about her comments Thursday, Ebrard said Mexico also had concerns and requested a meeting with her office to exchange information.
The foreign minister also explained that in return for its work on immigration, Mexico has asked the US government to help stem the tide of guns flowing into Mexico. The country currently has more murders than at any point in at least the past 20 years.
Ebrard said that 70 percent of the crimes committed with guns in Mexico between January and June involved guns purchased in the US.
Ebrard said Mexico had proposed that the US begin operations at border crossings in San Diego, as well as the Texan cities of El Paso, Laredo, McAllen and Brownsville. He said 41 percent of the guns used in crimes and recovered in Mexico have been traced back to Texas. Mexico wants the US to do more to inspect whether vehicles leaving the country have guns and to investigate gun sales.
“Mexico’s objective would be to freeze arms traffic at the border,” he said. “For that, we need the participation of North American authorities.” — NNN-AGENCIES
