US, Mexico pledge to tackle root causes of migration

The United States and Mexico pledged on September 29 to address the root causes of the growing wave of migration and promote cooperation in the semiconductor sector.

According to US officials, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has worked with top trade officials from both countries and is expected to travel to Mexico City next week, where he will hold talks with the main topic being security and meet with host country President Manuel Lopez Obrador.

The meetings come as a growing number of migrants, mainly from Central American countries and Venezuela, seek to cross Mexico into the United States, causing headaches for the Biden administration and raising questions about costs for Mexico.

Speaking at a joint press conference with his Mexican counterpart Alicia Barcena, Secretary of State Blinken affirmed that the US and Mexico will seek to ensure greater economic security in Central American countries - where violence, poverty and natural disasters are causing many people to evacuate.

For her part, Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Barcena stressed the importance of joint support between the two countries in the Central American region.

She said both sides agreed to look at the root causes of the migration problem. Mexican officials are looking to help repatriate migrants to Ecuador, Venezuela and Colombia, in addition to deportation flights to three Central American countries: Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

In addition, Foreign Minister Barcena also emphasized the desire to improve trade in border areas after a railway transport company was suspended due to many migrants hiding on cargo trains.

Secretary of State Blinken is scheduled to discuss migration in more detail when he arrives in Mexico City.

During his upcoming trip to Mexico, the US Secretary of State will be accompanied by Attorney General Merrick Garland and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas.

The meeting of senior officials between the US and Mexico on September 29 focused mainly on trade.

US officials have raised the possibility of increased cooperation in semiconductor manufacturing, while Mexican officials said they expect to make a decision on the two countries’ trade dispute over genetically modified corn by March next year.

In recent weeks, a large number of migrants have arrived at the southern border of the United States, forcing authorities to increase security checks at the border, causing trade to stagnate.