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Negotiations between Mexico and the United States on the “Remain in Mexico” program are ongoing, authorities from both governments confirmed to this newspaper, but there are doubts that the government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador has sufficient resources to receive immigrants , in addition that the program caused severe problems due to the non-compliance of the US administration.
According to the former Mexican ambassador to the United States, Martha Bárcena , the US government failed to deliver on its promise to expedite cases in immigration courts, affecting more than 40, 000 foreigners who applied for asylum, but were sent to the neighboring country of the south to an eternal wait.
“La lec tion of the last time (of the program) was that the United States does not fulfill its promise to quickly process their cases ”, said Bárcena to the The Washington Post .
Data from the Transactional Research Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) at the University of Syracuse, indicate that the immigration courts have more than 1.3 million pending cases, which tripled during the Trump Administration.
The former ambassador added that Mexico does not have the resources to receive asylum seekers indefinitely , which was demonstrated by the thousands of people who had to return to the countries from which they were fleeing or, worse still, face waiting in northern Mexican states controlled by drug trafficking.
“I believe that Mexico is willing to help applicants before asylum on a humanitarian basis, as long as the numbers are manageable ”, Bárcena considered.
The former ambassador was part of the team that negotiated with the Former President Donald Trump the so-called Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP, in English), which was imposed under pressure of tariffs on Mexican products and that started operations in June 2019.
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In addition to this program, the government of President López Obrador had to increase surveillance on the southern and northern borders with elements of the National Guard, in order to stop the passage of caravans, formed by nationals of El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Haiti, Venezuela, including China and African nations.
Sources from the Ministry of Foreign Relations Mexicans indicated that there is a will to help the United States, but the technical criteria to apply the program is being analyzed.
The Government of the President Joe Biden indicated that after the ruling of the Supreme Court of maintain the program , after a demand from the Republican governments of Texas and Louisiana, they must have an endorsement of the Mexican administration with a new agreement.
This occurs as more immigrants try to cross in large groups to the US and the López Obrador government tries to retain them, although elements of the National Guard and the Immigration Institute caused controversy over the violence with which they confront non-citizens, who form the caravans from Chiapas.
Civil organizations have pressed for the program to be canceled, but the Adm Inistration Biden only has two options that he must follow in parallel: appeal again to the Fifth Court – considered the most conservative – and reach an agreement with Mexico.