There is good news and bad news about the\nU.S.-Mexico migration cooperation agreement that enters its second year this\nmonth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the positive side, Mexico showed early signs\nof improved security at its southern border, halting more northbound migrants\nfrom Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. From June through September 2019, the\npeak migration season, Mexican authorities apprehended 81,000 migrants \u2014 a 76\npercent increase over the 46,000 detained during the same period in 2018. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meantime, asylum\nrequests to stay in Mexico more than doubled, from 30,000 to 71,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOver the course of one year, the Mexican government has demonstrated not only a willingness to cooperate with the United States on immigration enforcement \u2026 but also growing political interest in [pursuing]of its own public and security interests,\u201d said Ariel Ruiz Soto, policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute<\/a> (MPI).<\/p>\n\n\n\n There have also been setbacks, due\nin part to the coronavirus pandemic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Citing the public health threat, the U.S. has expelled more than 20,000 migrants since March, with most returned to Mexico. Mexican President Andr\u00e9s Manuel L\u00f3pez Obrador, under an amended agreement with Washington, accepted the returns. Then, quickly overwhelmed by the backflow, Mexico announced it would release all migrants from its detention centers. Just 234 migrants remained in detention as of May 27.<\/p>\n\n\n\n MPI does not say where the thousands of displaced migrants went. But it\u2019s not unreasonable to assume more than a few ended up in the U.S. An earlier MPI study<\/a> asserted that ongoing COVID-induced travel restrictions can \u201ccreate greater incentives for clandestine movements [by migrants]. Demand for smugglers to facilitate illicit movements may grow as economies open up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s too early to say whether another migrant\nsurge lies ahead, and MPI concludes with uncertainty about the ultimate impact\nof the U.S.-Mexico migration agreement. \u201cIt\u2019s unclear whether local and state\ngovernments are prepared to address the serious challenges of serving new and\ngrowing migrant populations in communities across Mexico,\u201d writes Ruiz Soto. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Roberta Jacobson, U.S. ambassador to Mexico from 2016-2018, avers that even Lopez Obrador\u2019s use of the newly constituted National Guard<\/a> is proving problematic. \u201cDeploying 25,000 troops at the borders while crime is exploding throughout the country is not sustainable. Going forward, the relationship between the U.S. and Mexico will be tested severely,\u201d she said during an MPI teleconference this week. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" There is good news and bad news about the U.S.-Mexico migration cooperation agreement that enters its second year this month. On the positive side, Mexico showed early signs of improved security at its southern border, halting more northbound migrants from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. From June through September 2019, the peak migration season, Mexican<\/p>\n