Guatemala’s president-elect to discuss migration, security with Mexican counterpart
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) will meet with his Guatemalan counterpart, Alejandro Giammattei, today in Merida, Mexico, to discuss migration policy.
In May, US President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on all Mexican imports unless Mexico stemmed the flow of migrants from Central America. Since, Mexico City has reported a 56% decrease in the number of migrants attempting to pass through to reach the US, achieving this largely through dramatically increased National Guard deployments around its northern and southern borders.
As a long-term solution, AMLO has proposed a fund—upwards of $10 billion—to alleviate the conditions in Northern Triangle countries that have compelled people to flee. However, it would require a substantial US contribution, which it is highly unlikely to receive.
Instead, expect Washington to continue pressuring Mexico to unilaterally deal with the issue of migration. Though Mexico has already rejected the proposal, Washington could keep pushing it to adopt a safe third-country status, which would compel asylum seekers to seek refuge in Mexico instead of the US. The humanitarian implications of this are severe as Mexico has few resources to adequately process the number asylum seekers passing through its territory.
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