<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/factbox-clash-between-trump-us-house-democrats-shifts-into-courts-228730">US House Democrats</a> said they plan to pass a $4.5 billion aid package aimed at addressing the migrant surge along the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-threatens-closure-of-us-mexico-border-next-week-to-stem-asylum-surge-206626">US-Mexico border</a> later on Tuesday, citing an urgency to act following reports of poor conditions facing young children at overcrowded facilities.

"This week we have to solve the humanitarian crisis," Hakeem Jeffries, the House of Representatives Democratic Caucus chairman, told reporters, predicting that the funding package would pass the House with a "strong Democratic vote."

Lawmakers were rushing to add language before the vote to mandate better health and nutrition standards at border facilities.&nbsp;

That came after some liberal Democrats expressed alarm that not enough was being done to improve conditions at the border, where the number of migrants apprehended surged in May to the highest level since 2006.

Last week, the Associated Press reported on squalid conditions facing migrant children being detained by US authorities, including a lack of access to food, beds and hygiene products such as soap and toothpaste.

Republican US President Donald Trump, despite having requested the $4.5 billion border aid package, on Monday night threatened to veto the House bill, saying the provisions added by Democrats - who control the chamber - would make the country "less safe."

But Jeffries said he expected Trump to sign the bill into law despite his threat, citing the president's recent reversals on other issues such as tariffs.

"There is no decency to having these children subjected to these horrific conditions," Jeffries said.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, seeking to galvanize her caucus, told them the House would need a strong vote to prevail.

"A vote against this bill is a vote for Donald Trump and his inhumane, outside-the-circle of civilized attitude toward the children," she said at a closed-door Tuesday morning meeting, according to a senior Democratic aide.

Democratic leaders said they would add language to protect the health of migrants in the custody of US Border Patrol agents, including standards for medical care and nutrition.&nbsp;

The bill's language would also set a three-month limit for any unaccompanied child migrant to spend at an intake shelter unless notice is given.

It was unclear whether the changes would be enough for some Democrats who fear the Trump administration could use some of the money for other purposes, such as deportations of migrants.

Representative Ilhan Omar said she objected to $155 million in the bill that would go to US marshals, a law enforcement agency within the Department of Justice.

"There's no good outcome here," said Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has compared the detention centres for undocumented immigrants at the border to "concentration camps."&nbsp;

She said she is worried over whether the funding will "go to the places that we need it to go."

The House legislation would also reinstate hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras that was cut off by the Trump administration.

The Republican-majority Senate was proceeding with its own, bipartisan, $4.6 billion versions of the legislation and was expected to vote soon.

US House Democrats said they plan to pass a $4.5 billion aid package aimed at addressing the migrant surge along the US-Mexico border later on Tuesday, citing an urgency to act following reports of poor conditions facing young children at overcrowded facilities.

US House Democrats said they plan to pass a $4.5 billion aid package aimed at addressing the migrant surge along the US-Mexico border later on Tuesday, citing an urgency to act following reports of poor conditions facing young children at overcrowded facilities. "This week we have to solve the humanitarian crisis," Hakeem Jeffries, the House of Representatives Democratic Caucus chairman, told reporters, predicting that the funding package would pass the House with a "strong Democratic vote." Lawmakers were rushing to add language before the vote to mandate better health and nutrition standards at border facilities. That came after some liberal Democrats expressed alarm that not enough was being done to improve conditions at the border, where the number of migrants apprehended surged in May to the highest level since 2006. Last week, the Associated Press reported on squalid conditions facing migrant children being detained by US authorities, including a lack of access to food, beds and hygiene products such as soap and toothpaste. Republican US President Donald Trump, despite having requested the $4.5 billion border aid package, on Monday night threatened to veto the House bill, saying the provisions added by Democrats - who control the chamber - would make the country "less safe." But Jeffries said he expected Trump to sign the bill into law despite his threat, citing the president's recent reversals on other issues such as tariffs. "There is no decency to having these children subjected to these horrific conditions," Jeffries said. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, seeking to galvanize her caucus, told them the House would need a strong vote to prevail. "A vote against this bill is a vote for Donald Trump and his inhumane, outside-the-circle of civilized attitude toward the children," she said at a closed-door Tuesday morning meeting, according to a senior Democratic aide. Democratic leaders said they would add language to protect the health of migrants in the custody of US Border Patrol agents, including standards for medical care and nutrition. The bill's language would also set a three-month limit for any unaccompanied child migrant to spend at an intake shelter unless notice is given. It was unclear whether the changes would be enough for some Democrats who fear the Trump administration could use some of the money for other purposes, such as deportations of migrants. Representative Ilhan Omar said she objected to $155 million in the bill that would go to US marshals, a law enforcement agency within the Department of Justice. "There's no good outcome here," said Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has compared the detention centres for undocumented immigrants at the border to "concentration camps." She said she is worried over whether the funding will "go to the places that we need it to go." The House legislation would also reinstate hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras that was cut off by the Trump administration. The Republican-majority Senate was proceeding with its own, bipartisan, $4.6 billion versions of the legislation and was expected to vote soon.

United States House Democrats rush to pass border aid bill before July 4, Trump vows veto

Mexico has deployed nearly 15,000 soldiers and National Guardsmen on&nbsp;its border with the United States, the army chief said Monday -&nbsp;admitting they are detaining <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/migrants-describe-overcrowded-mexican-detention-centers-as-trump-ratchets-up-pressure-229762">migrants who try to cross</a>, after the policy triggered backlash.

Under pressure from US President Donald Trump to slow the surge of Central Americans crossing the border, Mexico promised earlier this month to reinforce its southern border with 6,000 National Guardsmen, but had not previously disclosed the extent of the crackdown on its northern border.

"We have a total deployment, between the National Guard and army units, of 14,000, almost 15,000 men in the north of the country," Defense minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval said at a press conference alongside President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

Asked whether those forces were detaining migrants to prevent them from crossing, Sandoval replied: "Yes."

"Given that (undocumented) migration is not a crime but rather an administrative violation, we simply detain them and turn them over to the authorities" at the National Migration Institute, he said.

The government has faced criticism over migrant detentions at the northern border since an AFP photographer documented last week how heavily armed National Guardsmen in Ciudad Juarez forcefully stopped two women and a young girl from crossing the Rio Grande river into the United States.

The policy is a shift from previous practice. The Mexican security forces had not typically detained migrants at the US border in the past.

Fleeing chronic poverty and brutal gang violence in their home countries, the Central Americans crossing Mexico mostly lack migration papers.

However, international law protects the right of undocumented migrants to cross international borders to request asylum. And the US courts have upheld their right to do that anywhere along the border, whether or not it is an official crossing.

Trump wants Mexico to do more to stop a recent increase in migrant arrivals.

Last month, he threatened to impose tariffs on all Mexican goods, extracting a promise from Lopez Obrador's government to reinforce Mexico's southern border and expand its policy of taking back migrants while the US processes their asylum claims.

The deal, struck on June 7, gives Mexico 45 days to show results.

Mexico has deployed nearly 15,000 soldiers and National Guardsmen on its border with the United States, the army chief said Monday - admitting they are detaining migrants who try to cross, after the policy triggered backlash.

Mexico has deployed nearly 15,000 soldiers and National Guardsmen on its border with the United States, the army chief said Monday - admitting they are detaining migrants who try to cross, after the policy triggered backlash. Under pressure from US President Donald Trump to slow the surge of Central Americans crossing the border, Mexico promised earlier this month to reinforce its southern border with 6,000 National Guardsmen, but had not previously disclosed the extent of the crackdown on its northern border. "We have a total deployment, between the National Guard and army units, of 14,000, almost 15,000 men in the north of the country," Defense minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval said at a press conference alongside President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. Asked whether those forces were detaining migrants to prevent them from crossing, Sandoval replied: "Yes." "Given that (undocumented) migration is not a crime but rather an administrative violation, we simply detain them and turn them over to the authorities" at the National Migration Institute, he said. The government has faced criticism over migrant detentions at the northern border since an AFP photographer documented last week how heavily armed National Guardsmen in Ciudad Juarez forcefully stopped two women and a young girl from crossing the Rio Grande river into the United States. The policy is a shift from previous practice. The Mexican security forces had not typically detained migrants at the US border in the past. Fleeing chronic poverty and brutal gang violence in their home countries, the Central Americans crossing Mexico mostly lack migration papers. However, international law protects the right of undocumented migrants to cross international borders to request asylum. And the US courts have upheld their right to do that anywhere along the border, whether or not it is an official crossing. Trump wants Mexico to do more to stop a recent increase in migrant arrivals. Last month, he threatened to impose tariffs on all Mexican goods, extracting a promise from Lopez Obrador's government to reinforce Mexico's southern border and expand its policy of taking back migrants while the US processes their asylum claims. The deal, struck on June 7, gives Mexico 45 days to show results.

Nearly 15,000 soldiers deployed on US border: Mexico Army chief

Mexico's immigration centers are becoming increasingly squalid and overcrowded as authorities step up the detention of migrants headed for the United States, with inmates languishing for weeks amid medical neglect, according to detainees, lawyers and rights groups. 
&nbsp; 
Reuters spoke to more than a dozen recent detainees at the Siglo XXI detention center, the country`s largest. They described being held in the facility in Chiapas state on Mexico`s southern border for long periods without information about their cases.

The detainees reported severe overcrowding, sparse water and food, and limited healthcare.&nbsp;

Their accounts were supported by two lawyers representing 26 other inmates, as well as the migration ombudsman at Mexico`s National Human Rights Commission and reports from two migrant rights groups: Fray Matias de Cordova and the Human Rights Observation Mission for the Refugee and Humanitarian Crisis in Southeast Mexico, a collective of 24 aid groups.&nbsp;

&nbsp;Twelve of the detainees told Reuters they were held for at least three weeks in the center, meant to hold people for a maximum of 15 days until their cases are processed.

&nbsp;Mexico`s National Immigration Institute (INM), which runs Siglo XXI, did not respond to repeated requests for comment on conditions at the center. 
&nbsp;&nbsp; 
Asked about the extended detentions, an INM official, who asked not to be identified, said migrant cases were complex and needed to be analyzed on an individual basis.&nbsp;

&nbsp;Guards at the gates of the center declined to answer questions or to allow a Reuters reporter to speak with its director.

Detention numbers triple

US President Donald Trump made a crackdown on illegal migration the flagship policy of his 2016 election campaign. Struggling to get the funds from Congress to build a border wall, and with a significant uptick in Central Americans seeking asylum, he threatened trade tariffs unless Mexico plugged leaks south of the US border.

In response, Mexico has increased detentions. During the first five months of this year, it has tripled the number of migrants it detained monthly to reach 23,679 in May, according to unpublished government data seen by Reuters.&nbsp;

That has strained its underfunded network of centers, which already had a reputation for poor conditions.

Foreigners stopped by Mexican authorities without valid documents can be held in detention while they await transit visas or regularization of their situation. Edgar Corzo, the migration ombudsman, said that process is meant to take no more than 15 days.&nbsp;

Thousands have passed this year through the gates of Siglo XXI, which Corzo and the migrant rights groups said had been at or near double its 970-person capacity for months.

All the people spoken to for this story said detainees slept on thin mattresses or none at all in corridors and bathrooms because of lack of space in cells.&nbsp;

Corzo said that INM had failed to alleviate the overcrowding despite repeated requests from the human rights commission, which he attributed partly to a lack of resources.

Inmates said children older than 13 years were separated from parents and lights were kept on all night, disrupting sleep – claims supported by a May 31 report from the migrant aid collective and the migration rights ombudsman.

They also told Reuters about unsanitary conditions that led to mass outbreaks of diarrhea among child detainees.

Overflowing toilets

Hundreds of detainees have broken out of Siglo XXI in recent weeks after disturbances that inmates told Reuters were triggered by squalid conditions. INM acknowledged one breakout.&nbsp;

Photographs and videos shared with Reuters by one inmate at Siglo XXI purported to show lavatories blocked and overflowing with filth as well as dozens of semi-naked men sprawled on black mattresses in a corridor.&nbsp;

&nbsp;Reuters was not able to confirm their accuracy.

&nbsp;Mavi Cruz Reyes, spokeswoman for Fray Matias de Cordova, said the group has documented multiple cases of detention lasting weeks at Siglo XXI.&nbsp;

Detainees frequently are given no access to information about why they are detained, the group said.

The rights ombudsman told Reuters that some smaller centers among Mexico`s 58 immigrant detention facilities were even more overcrowded than Siglo XXI, holding up to four times capacity.&nbsp;

Lisdybi Garcia Aguilar, 26, from Cuba, was four months pregnant when migration officials pulled her out of a taxi on April 5 to check her papers, she said. Garcia was on her way to the immigration office in Tapachula to seek a visa as instructed by migration officials at the border, she added.&nbsp;

Instead, they took her to Siglo XXI, where her phone and other belongings were confiscated, she said.

"They told me it was to `regularize` my status, that all would be well and that this wasn`t a prison, it was a lodging area," Garcia told Reuters after she was freed. "It was a prison: a prison in every sense of the term."

Garcia said her pregnancy is high risk due to endometriosis - a uterine condition - but she was ignored when she pleaded for help during an episode of fainting and acute abdominal pains. When detainees took her to the clinic, she said the nurse gave her a pill without explaining what it contained.&nbsp;

Reuters was not able to independently confirm Garcia`s account. Four other inmates told Reuters they did not receive treatment for episodes that ran from fever to abdominal pains.&nbsp;

Garcia said she was held at the center for three weeks. On April 13, she filed for asylum in Mexico with an official from the United Nations Refugee Agency, UNHCR. She showed Reuters an asylum application with that date.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 
UNHCR declined to comment on her case but confirmed it had assisted some Siglo XXI detainees with asylum applications. It said in a statement to Reuters it was concerned about conditions at the site and that detention of asylum seekers should be an exceptional practice as it could lead to their deportation, in violation of international law. &nbsp;

Cuban asylum applicant Yildiz Gomez, 22, attempted suicide by swallowing a bottle of pills used to treat ear infections after she was hauled back into Siglo XXI, having been about to be freed after three weeks in detention, according to her husband and two inmates. Detainees forced her to throw up.

On May 8 - after 47 days in detention - Gomez gave up on a legal solution. Along with dozens of other detainees, she escaped, becoming a fugitive in Mexico.

Mexico's immigration centers are becoming increasingly squalid and overcrowded as authorities step up the detention of migrants headed for the United States, with inmates languishing for weeks amid medical neglect, according to detainees, lawyers and rights groups.

Mexico's immigration centers are becoming increasingly squalid and overcrowded as authorities step up the detention of migrants headed for the United States, with inmates languishing for weeks amid medical neglect, according to detainees, lawyers and rights groups. Reuters spoke to more than a dozen recent detainees at the Siglo XXI detention center, the country`s largest. They described being held in the facility in Chiapas state on Mexico`s southern border for long periods without information about their cases. The detainees reported severe overcrowding, sparse water and food, and limited healthcare. Their accounts were supported by two lawyers representing 26 other inmates, as well as the migration ombudsman at Mexico`s National Human Rights Commission and reports from two migrant rights groups: Fray Matias de Cordova and the Human Rights Observation Mission for the Refugee and Humanitarian Crisis in Southeast Mexico, a collective of 24 aid groups. Twelve of the detainees told Reuters they were held for at least three weeks in the center, meant to hold people for a maximum of 15 days until their cases are processed. Mexico`s National Immigration Institute (INM), which runs Siglo XXI, did not respond to repeated requests for comment on conditions at the center. Asked about the extended detentions, an INM official, who asked not to be identified, said migrant cases were complex and needed to be analyzed on an individual basis. Guards at the gates of the center declined to answer questions or to allow a Reuters reporter to speak with its director. Detention numbers triple US President Donald Trump made a crackdown on illegal migration the flagship policy of his 2016 election campaign. Struggling to get the funds from Congress to build a border wall, and with a significant uptick in Central Americans seeking asylum, he threatened trade tariffs unless Mexico plugged leaks south of the US border. In response, Mexico has increased detentions. During the first five months of this year, it has tripled the number of migrants it detained monthly to reach 23,679 in May, according to unpublished government data seen by Reuters. That has strained its underfunded network of centers, which already had a reputation for poor conditions. Foreigners stopped by Mexican authorities without valid documents can be held in detention while they await transit visas or regularization of their situation. Edgar Corzo, the migration ombudsman, said that process is meant to take no more than 15 days. Thousands have passed this year through the gates of Siglo XXI, which Corzo and the migrant rights groups said had been at or near double its 970-person capacity for months. All the people spoken to for this story said detainees slept on thin mattresses or none at all in corridors and bathrooms because of lack of space in cells. Corzo said that INM had failed to alleviate the overcrowding despite repeated requests from the human rights commission, which he attributed partly to a lack of resources. Inmates said children older than 13 years were separated from parents and lights were kept on all night, disrupting sleep – claims supported by a May 31 report from the migrant aid collective and the migration rights ombudsman. They also told Reuters about unsanitary conditions that led to mass outbreaks of diarrhea among child detainees. Overflowing toilets Hundreds of detainees have broken out of Siglo XXI in recent weeks after disturbances that inmates told Reuters were triggered by squalid conditions. INM acknowledged one breakout. Photographs and videos shared with Reuters by one inmate at Siglo XXI purported to show lavatories blocked and overflowing with filth as well as dozens of semi-naked men sprawled on black mattresses in a corridor. Reuters was not able to confirm their accuracy. Mavi Cruz Reyes, spokeswoman for Fray Matias de Cordova, said the group has documented multiple cases of detention lasting weeks at Siglo XXI. Detainees frequently are given no access to information about why they are detained, the group said. The rights ombudsman told Reuters that some smaller centers among Mexico`s 58 immigrant detention facilities were even more overcrowded than Siglo XXI, holding up to four times capacity. Lisdybi Garcia Aguilar, 26, from Cuba, was four months pregnant when migration officials pulled her out of a taxi on April 5 to check her papers, she said. Garcia was on her way to the immigration office in Tapachula to seek a visa as instructed by migration officials at the border, she added. Instead, they took her to Siglo XXI, where her phone and other belongings were confiscated, she said. "They told me it was to `regularize` my status, that all would be well and that this wasn`t a prison, it was a lodging area," Garcia told Reuters after she was freed. "It was a prison: a prison in every sense of the term." Garcia said her pregnancy is high risk due to endometriosis - a uterine condition - but she was ignored when she pleaded for help during an episode of fainting and acute abdominal pains. When detainees took her to the clinic, she said the nurse gave her a pill without explaining what it contained. Reuters was not able to independently confirm Garcia`s account. Four other inmates told Reuters they did not receive treatment for episodes that ran from fever to abdominal pains. Garcia said she was held at the center for three weeks. On April 13, she filed for asylum in Mexico with an official from the United Nations Refugee Agency, UNHCR. She showed Reuters an asylum application with that date. UNHCR declined to comment on her case but confirmed it had assisted some Siglo XXI detainees with asylum applications. It said in a statement to Reuters it was concerned about conditions at the site and that detention of asylum seekers should be an exceptional practice as it could lead to their deportation, in violation of international law. Cuban asylum applicant Yildiz Gomez, 22, attempted suicide by swallowing a bottle of pills used to treat ear infections after she was hauled back into Siglo XXI, having been about to be freed after three weeks in detention, according to her husband and two inmates. Detainees forced her to throw up. On May 8 - after 47 days in detention - Gomez gave up on a legal solution. Along with dozens of other detainees, she escaped, becoming a fugitive in Mexico.

Migrants describe overcrowded Mexican detention centers as Trump ratchets up pressure

Mexico on Wednesday called on the United Nations for more support for its plan to stem the stream of undocumented migrants who are fleeing poverty and violence in Central America.

In a meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard asked for a special envoy to be appointed to coordinate the work that 14 UN agencies are carrying out on the ground in Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala.

Extra UN participation was needed because the work "involves not only several agencies in Mexico but also all other agencies in the three other countries and Mexico," said Mexico's ambassador to the United Nations, Juan Ramon de la Fuente, who was also present at the meeting.

The minister himself said the meeting with Guterres had been "very successful ... We asked for a UN presence on the border."&nbsp;

A spokesman for Guterres said the "UN system has been very involved in supporting Mexico, as a large number of refugees and migrants cross its territory" and said a full statement on the meeting was likely to be released Thursday.

Thousands of Central American migrants have fled poverty and violence, heading across Mexico and bound for the United States, many of them organized into massive "caravans."&nbsp;

US President Donald Trump has threatened to close the border and slap tariffs on Mexican imports if Mexico does not stem the flow of migrants from the south.

In tense negotiations, Mexico won a delay of 45 days on punitive actions in return for a pledge to deploy 6,000 members of the National Guard along its own southern border to start cracking down on the migrant flow.

"Migration is not prohibited," said Ebrard. "But we are not going to allow the trafficking of minors as they are doing, the trafficking of people."

Mexican president Andres Manuel Lopez Obredor and his El Salvador counterpart Nayib Bukele are due on Thursday to launch one of the development plans aimed at stemming the flow of migrants.

The plan will include 30 public policy recommendations to bolster growth and employment in the region, thereby easing pressure on people to leave their homelands. &nbsp;

Mexico will contribute "several million dollars" to the plan, said Ebrard.&nbsp;

Mexico on Wednesday called on the United Nations for more support for its plan to stem the stream of undocumented migrants who are fleeing poverty and violence in Central America.

Mexico on Wednesday called on the United Nations for more support for its plan to stem the stream of undocumented migrants who are fleeing poverty and violence in Central America. In a meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard asked for a special envoy to be appointed to coordinate the work that 14 UN agencies are carrying out on the ground in Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. Extra UN participation was needed because the work "involves not only several agencies in Mexico but also all other agencies in the three other countries and Mexico," said Mexico's ambassador to the United Nations, Juan Ramon de la Fuente, who was also present at the meeting. The minister himself said the meeting with Guterres had been "very successful ... We asked for a UN presence on the border." A spokesman for Guterres said the "UN system has been very involved in supporting Mexico, as a large number of refugees and migrants cross its territory" and said a full statement on the meeting was likely to be released Thursday. Thousands of Central American migrants have fled poverty and violence, heading across Mexico and bound for the United States, many of them organized into massive "caravans." US President Donald Trump has threatened to close the border and slap tariffs on Mexican imports if Mexico does not stem the flow of migrants from the south. In tense negotiations, Mexico won a delay of 45 days on punitive actions in return for a pledge to deploy 6,000 members of the National Guard along its own southern border to start cracking down on the migrant flow. "Migration is not prohibited," said Ebrard. "But we are not going to allow the trafficking of minors as they are doing, the trafficking of people." Mexican president Andres Manuel Lopez Obredor and his El Salvador counterpart Nayib Bukele are due on Thursday to launch one of the development plans aimed at stemming the flow of migrants. The plan will include 30 public policy recommendations to bolster growth and employment in the region, thereby easing pressure on people to leave their homelands. Mexico will contribute "several million dollars" to the plan, said Ebrard.

Mexico asks UN for more suppoprt to tackle Central American migrants

By Savitri Arvey and Steph Leutert

Over the past three months, the number of Central Americans arriving at the US-Mexico border has jumped exponentially, and total border crossings have reached levels last seen in 2006.

Yet, while the number of families arriving between official border crossings has skyrocketed, the number of migrants seeking asylum at official border crossings has remained relatively constant, at around 4,200 per month.

It’s not that these families prefer to cross the Rio Grande or scale the border wall. Instead, our research shows that at least part of this pattern can be explained by a US policy that has left thousands of individuals waiting to request asylum in Mexican border cities since the summer of 2018.

A shift in US policy

In May 2018, US Customs and Border Protection officials began a practice known as metering across the southern border.

This means that officials are stationed at official ports of entry along the border to notify arriving asylum seekers that US&nbsp;border crossings are full due to “limited processing capacity” and they will have to wait in Mexico until space becomes available. Previously, officials processed all asylum seekers that showed up at crossings.

At the same time that the metering process began, these US&nbsp;officials started coordinating with Mexican officials to alert them of their capacity and how many asylum seekers the ports could accept per day.

As metering spread across the border, the number of asylum seekers in Mexican border cities increased. Yet it wasn’t clear exactly how many people were left waiting. When we started our research in November, no one had reported the numbers across the entire border or how the waitlists worked.

In December, we published a report with four colleagues that documented the spread of metering along the US-Mexico border and responses within Mexican border cities.

Soon after the report was published, new migration dynamics began to shift what metering looked like in these border cities, so we published an update in February and another in May.

These reports draw on dozens of interviews with Mexican government officials and civil society representatives, as well as in-person observations at ports of entry.

Our reports show that the number of people waiting in border cities to seek asylum at ports of entry has increased – from approximately 6,000 in November 2018, when the Honduran migrant caravan arrived in Tijuana, Baja California, to 19,000 in May 2019.

The increasing numbers have resulted in longer wait times along the entire border. In November 2018, most asylum seekers waited a few days or weeks for their turn on the list to request asylum at the port of entry. Now, asylum seekers wait one to two months in most cities for the chance to ask for asylum at a port of entry. In Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua and San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora, they wait over four months. 
 
Waitlists

A growing numbers of Mexican border cities have developed waitlists to organize the lines of asylum seekers, coordinating with Customs and Border Protection officials on how many are accepted per day.

While all major border cities have waitlists, smaller cities now also have started their own waitlists. These lists are managed by a range of administrators, including Mexico’s National Migration Institute, state and municipal governments, civil society organizations and asylum seekers themselves.

The list logistics also vary. They may include writing name and nationality in a notebook; sending personal contact information through social media, such as a private Facebook group; or sending a Whatsapp note to the list officiator.

This lack of standardisation is not only confusing for asylum seekers, but can create nontransparent processes that foster corruption. For example, we and others have heard allegations of list administrators charging bribes to add asylum seekers to their list.

The increase in the number asylum seekers and longer wait times has put a stress on shelters in Mexican border cities, which all reported to us that they were over capacity.

As a result, asylum seekers rent hotel rooms and apartments or sleep on the streets. This increases their risks for being preyed upon by organised criminals or other opportunistic actors.

Creating new issues

The nonstandard waiting list process, long wait times and security threats in Mexican border cities have pushed some individuals to cross without authorization between US&nbsp;ports of entry to request asylum.

An October 2018 Department of Homeland Security report documented this trend, noting that metering “may have led asylum seekers at ports of entry to attempt illegal border crossings” after being turned away at ports of entry. It has also created confusion with the waitlists in Mexican border cities, as some asylum seekers do not show up for their turns.

We believe the challenges are likely to only worsen in the coming months. According to a June 7 agreement with Mexico, US&nbsp;authorities have promised to begin sending back more people to Mexican border cities under the Migrant Protection Protocols, a program that began in January to send asylum seekers to Mexico for the duration of their US asylum case proceedings.

With larger numbers of people waiting to seek asylum and others waiting during their asylum cases, Mexican border communities will likely continue to feel the strain.

 
(Savitri Arvey is Graduate Student Researcher at the Center for US-Mexican Studies, University of California San Diego; Steph Leutert is irector of the MDexico Security Initiative, University of Texas at Austin)

(This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/thousands-of-asylum-seekers-left-waiting-at-the-us-mexico-border-118367">original article)</a>

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

By Savitri Arvey and Steph Leutert Over the past three months, the number of Central Americans arriving at the US-Mexico border has jumped exponentially, and total border crossings have reached levels last seen in 2006.

By Savitri Arvey and Steph Leutert Over the past three months, the number of Central Americans arriving at the US-Mexico border has jumped exponentially, and total border crossings have reached levels last seen in 2006. Yet, while the number of families arriving between official border crossings has skyrocketed, the number of migrants seeking asylum at official border crossings has remained relatively constant, at around 4,200 per month. It’s not that these families prefer to cross the Rio Grande or scale the border wall. Instead, our research shows that at least part of this pattern can be explained by a US policy that has left thousands of individuals waiting to request asylum in Mexican border cities since the summer of 2018. A shift in US policy In May 2018, US Customs and Border Protection officials began a practice known as metering across the southern border. This means that officials are stationed at official ports of entry along the border to notify arriving asylum seekers that US border crossings are full due to “limited processing capacity” and they will have to wait in Mexico until space becomes available. Previously, officials processed all asylum seekers that showed up at crossings. At the same time that the metering process began, these US officials started coordinating with Mexican officials to alert them of their capacity and how many asylum seekers the ports could accept per day. As metering spread across the border, the number of asylum seekers in Mexican border cities increased. Yet it wasn’t clear exactly how many people were left waiting. When we started our research in November, no one had reported the numbers across the entire border or how the waitlists worked. In December, we published a report with four colleagues that documented the spread of metering along the US-Mexico border and responses within Mexican border cities. Soon after the report was published, new migration dynamics began to shift what metering looked like in these border cities, so we published an update in February and another in May. These reports draw on dozens of interviews with Mexican government officials and civil society representatives, as well as in-person observations at ports of entry. Our reports show that the number of people waiting in border cities to seek asylum at ports of entry has increased – from approximately 6,000 in November 2018, when the Honduran migrant caravan arrived in Tijuana, Baja California, to 19,000 in May 2019. The increasing numbers have resulted in longer wait times along the entire border. In November 2018, most asylum seekers waited a few days or weeks for their turn on the list to request asylum at the port of entry. Now, asylum seekers wait one to two months in most cities for the chance to ask for asylum at a port of entry. In Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua and San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora, they wait over four months. Waitlists A growing numbers of Mexican border cities have developed waitlists to organize the lines of asylum seekers, coordinating with Customs and Border Protection officials on how many are accepted per day. While all major border cities have waitlists, smaller cities now also have started their own waitlists. These lists are managed by a range of administrators, including Mexico’s National Migration Institute, state and municipal governments, civil society organizations and asylum seekers themselves. The list logistics also vary. They may include writing name and nationality in a notebook; sending personal contact information through social media, such as a private Facebook group; or sending a Whatsapp note to the list officiator. This lack of standardisation is not only confusing for asylum seekers, but can create nontransparent processes that foster corruption. For example, we and others have heard allegations of list administrators charging bribes to add asylum seekers to their list. The increase in the number asylum seekers and longer wait times has put a stress on shelters in Mexican border cities, which all reported to us that they were over capacity. As a result, asylum seekers rent hotel rooms and apartments or sleep on the streets. This increases their risks for being preyed upon by organised criminals or other opportunistic actors. Creating new issues The nonstandard waiting list process, long wait times and security threats in Mexican border cities have pushed some individuals to cross without authorization between US ports of entry to request asylum. An October 2018 Department of Homeland Security report documented this trend, noting that metering “may have led asylum seekers at ports of entry to attempt illegal border crossings” after being turned away at ports of entry. It has also created confusion with the waitlists in Mexican border cities, as some asylum seekers do not show up for their turns. We believe the challenges are likely to only worsen in the coming months. According to a June 7 agreement with Mexico, US authorities have promised to begin sending back more people to Mexican border cities under the Migrant Protection Protocols, a program that began in January to send asylum seekers to Mexico for the duration of their US asylum case proceedings. With larger numbers of people waiting to seek asylum and others waiting during their asylum cases, Mexican border communities will likely continue to feel the strain. (Savitri Arvey is Graduate Student Researcher at the Center for US-Mexican Studies, University of California San Diego; Steph Leutert is irector of the MDexico Security Initiative, University of Texas at Austin) (This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

Thousands of asylum seekers left waiting at the US-Mexico border

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-to-propose-plan-to-make-us-immigration-more-merit-based-219054">&nbsp;President Donald Trump</a> said on Monday that US authorities would begin next week removing <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/new-trump-immigration-plan-may-increase-visas-for-highly-skilled-workers-213463">millions of immigrants</a> who are in the United States illegally.

"Next week ICE will begin the process of removing the millions of illegal aliens who have illicitly found their way into the United States," Trump tweeted, referring to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. "They will be removed as fast as they come in," he said. He did not offer specifics.

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Next week ICE will begin the process of removing the millions of illegal aliens who have illicitly found their way into the United States. They will be removed as fast as they come in. Mexico, using their strong immigration laws, is doing a very good job of stopping people.......
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There are an estimated 12 million immigrants who are in the United States illegally, mainly from Mexico and Central America.

Under a deal reached earlier this month, Mexico has agreed to take Central American immigrants seeking asylum in the United States until their cases are heard in US courts.

The agreement, which included Mexico pledging to deploy National Guard troops to stop Central American immigrants from reaching the US border, averted a Trump threat to hit Mexican imports with tariffs.

Trump also said in the tweet that Guatemala "is getting ready to sign a Safe-Third Agreement."

US Vice President Mike Pence suggested last week that Guatemala could receive asylum seekers from its neighbours as a so-called safe third country.

Details of the plan have not been made public, and Guatemala has not publicly confirmed talks that the US State Department said were taking place in Guatemala on Friday.

US rights group Human Rights First said, however, it was "simply ludicrous" for the United States to assert that Guatemala was capable of protecting refugees when its own citizens are fleeing violence.

Mexico has agreed that if its measures to stem the flow of migrants are unsuccessful, it will discuss signing a safe third country agreement with the United States.&nbsp;

President Donald Trump said on Monday that US authorities would begin next week removing millions of immigrants who are in the United States illegally. "Next week ICE will begin the process of removing the millions of illegal aliens who have illicitly found their way into the United States," Trump tweeted, referring to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.

President Donald Trump said on Monday that US authorities would begin next week removing millions of immigrants who are in the United States illegally. "Next week ICE will begin the process of removing the millions of illegal aliens who have illicitly found their way into the United States," Trump tweeted, referring to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. "They will be removed as fast as they come in," he said. He did not offer specifics. Next week ICE will begin the process of removing the millions of illegal aliens who have illicitly found their way into the United States. They will be removed as fast as they come in. Mexico, using their strong immigration laws, is doing a very good job of stopping people....... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 18, 2019 × There are an estimated 12 million immigrants who are in the United States illegally, mainly from Mexico and Central America. Under a deal reached earlier this month, Mexico has agreed to take Central American immigrants seeking asylum in the United States until their cases are heard in US courts. The agreement, which included Mexico pledging to deploy National Guard troops to stop Central American immigrants from reaching the US border, averted a Trump threat to hit Mexican imports with tariffs. Trump also said in the tweet that Guatemala "is getting ready to sign a Safe-Third Agreement." US Vice President Mike Pence suggested last week that Guatemala could receive asylum seekers from its neighbours as a so-called safe third country. Details of the plan have not been made public, and Guatemala has not publicly confirmed talks that the US State Department said were taking place in Guatemala on Friday. US rights group Human Rights First said, however, it was "simply ludicrous" for the United States to assert that Guatemala was capable of protecting refugees when its own citizens are fleeing violence. Mexico has agreed that if its measures to stem the flow of migrants are unsuccessful, it will discuss signing a safe third country agreement with the United States.

US will begin removing millions of illegal immigrants, tweets Donald Trump

This segment of WION brings to you top stories of the morning from across the globe. Watch this video to get updated with the latest information.

WION Speed News: Watch top national and international news of the morning - June 15th, 2019

The United States has doubled the number of asylum seekers it sends back each day to Mexico from El Paso, Texas, a Mexican immigration official said on Friday, in the first sign of action following a deal struck to avert US&nbsp;tariffs last week.&nbsp;

Luis Carlos Cano, a spokesman for Mexico`s national immigration agency in Ciudad Juarez, across the border from El Paso, said starting Thursday some 200 asylum seekers per day were being sent back, up from 100 previously.&nbsp;

Under pressure from US President Donald Trump, Mexico agreed on June 7 to expand the program, known as the Migrant Protection Protocols, or `Remain in Mexico,` which forces mostly Central American asylum seekers arriving at the US southern border to await the outcome of their US&nbsp;asylum claims in Mexico.

Remain in Mexico currently operates in Tijuana, Mexicali and Ciudad Juarez. Close to 12,000 people have been returned to Mexico since it began in January.&nbsp;

However, Mexico has not accepted that the United States send it an unlimited number of asylum seekers, Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said, ahead of planned meetings with US&nbsp;officials on Friday to determine details of the expansion.

"Today there is a meeting with US&nbsp;authorities, to learn, to discuss the ports of entry and how the number will be measured, because Mexico has not accepted that it be undetermined," Ebrard said at a news conference.&nbsp;

The agreement has put Mexican officials under mounting pressure to deliver results. The head of Mexico`s National Migration Institute, Tonatiuh Guillen, resigned on Friday for "personal reasons," an interior ministry official said.&nbsp;

'Safe third country'

If enforcement measures are not successful after 45 days, Mexico has also agreed to consider making itself a "safe third country." Asylum seekers who first set foot on Mexican soil would have to apply for refugee status in Mexico instead of in the United States.&nbsp;

Mexico`s government on Friday published the section of the joint accord which said Mexico would examine any changes to its legislation necessary to permit a safe third country arrangement to come into force 90 days after June 7.

The document also stated that such an agreement was intended to be "part of a regional approach to burden-sharing" in processing migrants` asylum claims.

Ebrard said this week that if Mexico could not stem the flow of people, a regional system should be established to bind in other countries crossed by migrants en route to the United States, including Guatemala, Panama and Brazil.&nbsp;

A rights group in Guatemala on Friday lashed out at the proposal to make asylum seekers from Honduras and El Salvador seek refuge in Guatemala, when its own citizens were fleeing poverty and violence.&nbsp;

Trump confirmed the deal included the safe third country plan if Mexico did not do enough to cut migration.

Asked in a Fox News interview if that possibility was part of the accord, Trump said, "It`s exactly right, and that`s what`s going to happen." 
Trump also named Tom Homan as "Border Czar."

Homan is a veteran of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and served as the agency`s acting head during the first year of Trump`s presidency. He retired last year, after increasing arrests of non-criminal immigrants.

The United States has doubled the number of asylum seekers it sends back each day to Mexico from El Paso, Texas, a Mexican immigration official said on Friday, in the first sign of action following a deal struck to avert US tariffs last week.

The United States has doubled the number of asylum seekers it sends back each day to Mexico from El Paso, Texas, a Mexican immigration official said on Friday, in the first sign of action following a deal struck to avert US tariffs last week. Luis Carlos Cano, a spokesman for Mexico`s national immigration agency in Ciudad Juarez, across the border from El Paso, said starting Thursday some 200 asylum seekers per day were being sent back, up from 100 previously. Under pressure from US President Donald Trump, Mexico agreed on June 7 to expand the program, known as the Migrant Protection Protocols, or `Remain in Mexico,` which forces mostly Central American asylum seekers arriving at the US southern border to await the outcome of their US asylum claims in Mexico. Remain in Mexico currently operates in Tijuana, Mexicali and Ciudad Juarez. Close to 12,000 people have been returned to Mexico since it began in January. However, Mexico has not accepted that the United States send it an unlimited number of asylum seekers, Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said, ahead of planned meetings with US officials on Friday to determine details of the expansion. "Today there is a meeting with US authorities, to learn, to discuss the ports of entry and how the number will be measured, because Mexico has not accepted that it be undetermined," Ebrard said at a news conference. The agreement has put Mexican officials under mounting pressure to deliver results. The head of Mexico`s National Migration Institute, Tonatiuh Guillen, resigned on Friday for "personal reasons," an interior ministry official said. 'Safe third country' If enforcement measures are not successful after 45 days, Mexico has also agreed to consider making itself a "safe third country." Asylum seekers who first set foot on Mexican soil would have to apply for refugee status in Mexico instead of in the United States. Mexico`s government on Friday published the section of the joint accord which said Mexico would examine any changes to its legislation necessary to permit a safe third country arrangement to come into force 90 days after June 7. The document also stated that such an agreement was intended to be "part of a regional approach to burden-sharing" in processing migrants` asylum claims. Ebrard said this week that if Mexico could not stem the flow of people, a regional system should be established to bind in other countries crossed by migrants en route to the United States, including Guatemala, Panama and Brazil. A rights group in Guatemala on Friday lashed out at the proposal to make asylum seekers from Honduras and El Salvador seek refuge in Guatemala, when its own citizens were fleeing poverty and violence. Trump confirmed the deal included the safe third country plan if Mexico did not do enough to cut migration. Asked in a Fox News interview if that possibility was part of the accord, Trump said, "It`s exactly right, and that`s what`s going to happen." Trump also named Tom Homan as "Border Czar." Homan is a veteran of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and served as the agency`s acting head during the first year of Trump`s presidency. He retired last year, after increasing arrests of non-criminal immigrants.

US ramps up Mexico asylum returns, Trump confirms 'safe third country' plan

WION Speed News: Watch top national and international news of the morning - June 14th, 2019

Deployment of National Guard forces to <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/migrants-will-pay-the-price-of-mexicos-tariff-deal-with-trump-226455">Mexico</a>`s southern border will advance quickly under a migration control deal signed last week with the<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-flaunts-secret-migration-deal-already-revealed-by-mexico-226427"> United States</a>, Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said on Wednesday, although there were no visible signs on the ground late in the day.

Under the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mexico-reaches-deal-with-us-on-migration-averting-tariff-war-trump-225346">deal signed </a>on Friday, Mexico agreed to take steps to control the flow of people from Central America, including deploying 6,000 members of the country`s National Guard across its border with Guatemala.

"Starting from today, and in the coming days, the deployment is going to progress rapidly," Ebrard said during President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador`s regular morning news conference.

However, a Reuters photographer in Southern Mexico said there was no sign of National Guard forces being deployed late on Wednesday - only regular checkpoints by the army, marines and the Federal Police.

The deal agreed on Friday averted escalating import tariffs of 5 per cent&nbsp;on Mexican goods, which President Donald Trump had vowed to impose unless Mexico did more to curb illegal migration into the United States. Mexico also agreed to a 45-day timeline to show that increased enforcement efforts were effective.

"A lot of things have to happen in 45 days," Ebrard said. "We are going to do what we said we are going to do."

Details of how much Mexico will spend on the border security measures will be made public on Friday, Ebrard said.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/unprecedented-steps-taken-by-trump-administration-to-curb-illegal-immigration-225624">Understanding US-Mexico immigration deal and what drives Central American families to migrate</a>

Lopez Obrador said some of the money needed to pay for the beefed-up migration program will come from selling the former presidential plane, at a minimum price of $150 million, and from the sale of other aircraft used in the prior administration.

&nbsp;Ebrard said Mexico implemented a working group with Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador to coordinate efforts at stemming the tide of people fleeing violence and poverty in Central America.&nbsp;

Mexico will meet on Friday with US&nbsp;immigration officials to hammer out details of the new plan, he added, aiming to secure a commitment to faster asylum proceedings.&nbsp;

United Nations child relief agency UNICEF will be invited to provide assistance on the southern border, focusing on non-accompanied minors fleeing Central America, Ebrard said.

Deployment of National Guard forces to Mexico`s southern border will advance quickly under a migration control deal signed last week with the United States, Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said on Wednesday, although there were no visible signs on the ground late in the day.

Deployment of National Guard forces to Mexico`s southern border will advance quickly under a migration control deal signed last week with the United States, Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said on Wednesday, although there were no visible signs on the ground late in the day. Under the deal signed on Friday, Mexico agreed to take steps to control the flow of people from Central America, including deploying 6,000 members of the country`s National Guard across its border with Guatemala. "Starting from today, and in the coming days, the deployment is going to progress rapidly," Ebrard said during President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador`s regular morning news conference. However, a Reuters photographer in Southern Mexico said there was no sign of National Guard forces being deployed late on Wednesday - only regular checkpoints by the army, marines and the Federal Police. The deal agreed on Friday averted escalating import tariffs of 5 per cent on Mexican goods, which President Donald Trump had vowed to impose unless Mexico did more to curb illegal migration into the United States. Mexico also agreed to a 45-day timeline to show that increased enforcement efforts were effective. "A lot of things have to happen in 45 days," Ebrard said. "We are going to do what we said we are going to do." Details of how much Mexico will spend on the border security measures will be made public on Friday, Ebrard said. Also read: Understanding US-Mexico immigration deal and what drives Central American families to migrate Lopez Obrador said some of the money needed to pay for the beefed-up migration program will come from selling the former presidential plane, at a minimum price of $150 million, and from the sale of other aircraft used in the prior administration. Ebrard said Mexico implemented a working group with Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador to coordinate efforts at stemming the tide of people fleeing violence and poverty in Central America. Mexico will meet on Friday with US immigration officials to hammer out details of the new plan, he added, aiming to secure a commitment to faster asylum proceedings. United Nations child relief agency UNICEF will be invited to provide assistance on the southern border, focusing on non-accompanied minors fleeing Central America, Ebrard said.

Mexico says National Guard deployment to southern border starts on Wednesday

A Mexican judge has freed two migrant rights activists who organised caravans, said a member of their legal team and a rights group on Wednesday, a week after their arrest which their supporters said was meant to appease the Trump administration.

After 13 hours of oral arguments for Cristobal Sanchez on Tuesday and an eight-hour overnight hearing for Irineo Mujica, a judge in southern Chiapas state ruled that the two veteran defenders of migrants should not be held in pre-trial custody, said lawyer Santiago Nunez, who attended the hearings.

Sanchez, 41, and Mujica, 49 were arrested within an hour of each other on June 5 and jailed as part of a Mexican crackdown that week, which coincided with talks in Washington to avert tariffs threatened by <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mexico-promises-unprecedented-steps-to-curb-migration-in-us-deal-joint-statement-225371">US President Donald Trump</a>.

The high profile activists were held in a prison in the southern border city of Tapachula ahead of a hearing on people trafficking charges.

The judge ruled they could face the charges in liberty. They face possible 24-year sentences each.

No-show by accusers

In Sanchez's hearing, the defence team presented witnesses, a photo, video and documents to show he was at a party in Mexico City on March 29 about 10 p.m., Nunez said.

That evidence contradicted four Honduran migrants who had said they handed $8,000 to Sanchez at that time in the Guatemalan border city of Tecun Uman.

The legal team also presented evidence that Mujica was in the town of Chahuites, Oaxaca, on Feb. 27 at about 9 a.m., about 114 miles (185km) from Mapastepec, Chiapas, where two other Honduran migrants had accused him of taking 7000 pesos ($374) to transport them to Tijuana at that time, Nunez said.

None of the six migrants who had accused Sanchez and Mujica appeared at the hearings, Nunez said.

Mexico's federal prosecutor office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Mujica, working with migrant aid organization Pueblo Sin Fronteras, has for years guided annual caravans of Central American migrants, negotiating their passage, temporary shelter, food handouts and occasional transport through Mexico and sometimes to the US border.

The migrants travelling in large groups to avoid exploitation by cartels and corrupt government officials drew international attention in 2018 when Trump said they should be stopped before reaching the US border.

Though Pueblo Sin Fronteras has helped shepherd caravans for years, several more have formed more spontaneously since 2018 in southern Mexico or in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.

A Mexican judge has freed two migrant rights activists who organised caravans, said a member of their legal team and a rights group on Wednesday, a week after their arrest which their supporters said was meant to appease the Trump administration.

A Mexican judge has freed two migrant rights activists who organised caravans, said a member of their legal team and a rights group on Wednesday, a week after their arrest which their supporters said was meant to appease the Trump administration. After 13 hours of oral arguments for Cristobal Sanchez on Tuesday and an eight-hour overnight hearing for Irineo Mujica, a judge in southern Chiapas state ruled that the two veteran defenders of migrants should not be held in pre-trial custody, said lawyer Santiago Nunez, who attended the hearings. Sanchez, 41, and Mujica, 49 were arrested within an hour of each other on June 5 and jailed as part of a Mexican crackdown that week, which coincided with talks in Washington to avert tariffs threatened by US President Donald Trump. The high profile activists were held in a prison in the southern border city of Tapachula ahead of a hearing on people trafficking charges. The judge ruled they could face the charges in liberty. They face possible 24-year sentences each. No-show by accusers In Sanchez's hearing, the defence team presented witnesses, a photo, video and documents to show he was at a party in Mexico City on March 29 about 10 p.m., Nunez said. That evidence contradicted four Honduran migrants who had said they handed $8,000 to Sanchez at that time in the Guatemalan border city of Tecun Uman. The legal team also presented evidence that Mujica was in the town of Chahuites, Oaxaca, on Feb. 27 at about 9 a.m., about 114 miles (185km) from Mapastepec, Chiapas, where two other Honduran migrants had accused him of taking 7000 pesos ($374) to transport them to Tijuana at that time, Nunez said. None of the six migrants who had accused Sanchez and Mujica appeared at the hearings, Nunez said. Mexico's federal prosecutor office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Mujica, working with migrant aid organization Pueblo Sin Fronteras, has for years guided annual caravans of Central American migrants, negotiating their passage, temporary shelter, food handouts and occasional transport through Mexico and sometimes to the US border. The migrants travelling in large groups to avoid exploitation by cartels and corrupt government officials drew international attention in 2018 when Trump said they should be stopped before reaching the US border. Though Pueblo Sin Fronteras has helped shepherd caravans for years, several more have formed more spontaneously since 2018 in southern Mexico or in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.

Two prominent migrant rights defenders freed in Mexico

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mexico-reaches-deal-with-us-on-migration-averting-tariff-war-trump-225346">US President Donald Trump brandished a document</a> on Tuesday confirming details of a regional asylum project agreed with Mexico to stave off threatened tariffs, saying the plan was "secret" even though Mexican officials had revealed much of it.

Trump, who has made containing illegal immigration a priority issue and has blamed Mexico for the problem since running for office in 2016, did not show the text of any document or give any details. However, a Reuters photograph of the sheet of paper allowed reporters to read parts of it.

Under duress because of Trump's threat to impose tariffs unless Mexico stemmed a surge in migrants that have overwhelmed US detention facilities and immigration courts, Mexico signed a pact last week agreeing to control the flow of people from Central America, including deploying 6,000 members of a new national guard along its border with Guatemala.

Mexico's foreign minister, Marcelo Ebrard, said Mexico also agreed to a 45-day timeline to show increased enforcement efforts were effective in reducing the people flows. If that fails, Mexico has agreed to consider a longstanding US demand that Central American asylum seekers crossing through Mexico apply for refuge there, not the United States, making Mexico a "safe third country," a demand that Mexico has long rejected.

"Safe third country could be applied if we fail, and we accept what they say," Ebrard said on Tuesday evening, noting that Mexican legislators would then give consideration to accommodating a change in migration law.

Nevertheless, Ebrard said other Latin American countries should share the burden, something that the United States appeared to have agreed to.

The document that Trump waved at reporters laid out "a regional approach to burden-sharing in relation to the processing of refugee status claims to migrants"; talked of "45 days"; and said Mexico had committed to immediately examine its laws and rules to enable it to implement such an agreement.

Daily Progress

Asylum is at the core of Trump's concerns about a surge in undocumented migration because a large proportion of the people apprehended at the US-Mexican border say they are fleeing violence and repression. Since many travels with children - who cannot be held in detention long-term - they are released into the United States to await the resolution of their asylum cases, something the president calls "catch and release."

Many migrants say they are afraid of returning to their home countries, which triggers a US immigration court process that can take months or years to resolve due to backlogs in the system. In January, the Trump administration began sending thousands of migrants back to Mexico to wait there instead.

Ebrard said those asylum seekers would start being returned to wait out their cases in Mexico via three more cities, which officials will decide on Friday.

Deployment of the national guard on Mexico's border with Guatemala would begin on Wednesday, he added.

The vast majority of undocumented migrants arriving in the United States are from Central America, but significant numbers have also been arriving in recent months from Cuban and Haiti, via Panama, and from African countries, often via Brazil.

In comments on Monday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States would evaluate "daily" the progress of Mexico's efforts. In an apparent reference to the regional asylum concept, he said the United States was also talking to Brazil, Central American nations and Panama.

Vice President Mike Pence also referred to a regional approach, suggesting Guatemala could receive asylum seekers from its neighbours.

"We also reached an agreement with Guatemala to reform our laws to essentially say that if people are looking for asylum they ought to be willing to apply for asylum in the first safe country in which they arrive. We'll only move on to that if it's necessary," Pence told the Fox News Channel's "Special Report with Bret Baier" on Monday.

Border Infrastructure

Revealing more details of Mexico's strategy for rapidly putting the brakes on immigration, Ebrard said on Tuesday that border infrastructure on its southern frontier would be improved significantly. To meet its commitments to Washington, Mexican migration facilities in the south need to be revamped, he said.

"You go to the south and the first thing you ask yourself is 'Right, where's the border?' There's nothing. The idea is to make the south like the north as far as possible," he said.

Over the weekend there was no sign that Mexico had started to harden the border, with migrants and locals crossing a river on rafts in sight of a busy official port of entry.

US President Donald Trump brandished a document on Tuesday confirming details of a regional asylum project agreed with Mexico to stave off threatened tariffs, saying the plan was "secret" even though Mexican officials had revealed much of it.

US President Donald Trump brandished a document on Tuesday confirming details of a regional asylum project agreed with Mexico to stave off threatened tariffs, saying the plan was "secret" even though Mexican officials had revealed much of it. Trump, who has made containing illegal immigration a priority issue and has blamed Mexico for the problem since running for office in 2016, did not show the text of any document or give any details. However, a Reuters photograph of the sheet of paper allowed reporters to read parts of it. Under duress because of Trump's threat to impose tariffs unless Mexico stemmed a surge in migrants that have overwhelmed US detention facilities and immigration courts, Mexico signed a pact last week agreeing to control the flow of people from Central America, including deploying 6,000 members of a new national guard along its border with Guatemala. Mexico's foreign minister, Marcelo Ebrard, said Mexico also agreed to a 45-day timeline to show increased enforcement efforts were effective in reducing the people flows. If that fails, Mexico has agreed to consider a longstanding US demand that Central American asylum seekers crossing through Mexico apply for refuge there, not the United States, making Mexico a "safe third country," a demand that Mexico has long rejected. "Safe third country could be applied if we fail, and we accept what they say," Ebrard said on Tuesday evening, noting that Mexican legislators would then give consideration to accommodating a change in migration law. Nevertheless, Ebrard said other Latin American countries should share the burden, something that the United States appeared to have agreed to. The document that Trump waved at reporters laid out "a regional approach to burden-sharing in relation to the processing of refugee status claims to migrants"; talked of "45 days"; and said Mexico had committed to immediately examine its laws and rules to enable it to implement such an agreement. Daily Progress Asylum is at the core of Trump's concerns about a surge in undocumented migration because a large proportion of the people apprehended at the US-Mexican border say they are fleeing violence and repression. Since many travels with children - who cannot be held in detention long-term - they are released into the United States to await the resolution of their asylum cases, something the president calls "catch and release." Many migrants say they are afraid of returning to their home countries, which triggers a US immigration court process that can take months or years to resolve due to backlogs in the system. In January, the Trump administration began sending thousands of migrants back to Mexico to wait there instead. Ebrard said those asylum seekers would start being returned to wait out their cases in Mexico via three more cities, which officials will decide on Friday. Deployment of the national guard on Mexico's border with Guatemala would begin on Wednesday, he added. The vast majority of undocumented migrants arriving in the United States are from Central America, but significant numbers have also been arriving in recent months from Cuban and Haiti, via Panama, and from African countries, often via Brazil. In comments on Monday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States would evaluate "daily" the progress of Mexico's efforts. In an apparent reference to the regional asylum concept, he said the United States was also talking to Brazil, Central American nations and Panama. Vice President Mike Pence also referred to a regional approach, suggesting Guatemala could receive asylum seekers from its neighbours. "We also reached an agreement with Guatemala to reform our laws to essentially say that if people are looking for asylum they ought to be willing to apply for asylum in the first safe country in which they arrive. We'll only move on to that if it's necessary," Pence told the Fox News Channel's "Special Report with Bret Baier" on Monday. Border Infrastructure Revealing more details of Mexico's strategy for rapidly putting the brakes on immigration, Ebrard said on Tuesday that border infrastructure on its southern frontier would be improved significantly. To meet its commitments to Washington, Mexican migration facilities in the south need to be revamped, he said. "You go to the south and the first thing you ask yourself is 'Right, where's the border?' There's nothing. The idea is to make the south like the north as far as possible," he said. Over the weekend there was no sign that Mexico had started to harden the border, with migrants and locals crossing a river on rafts in sight of a busy official port of entry.

Donald Trump flaunts 'secret' migration deal already revealed by Mexico

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is celebrating an agreement avoiding US tariffs as a major political and diplomatic triumph for his government.

“We didn’t win everything, but we were able to claim a victory with there being no tariffs,” said chief negotiator Marcelo Ebrard, Mexico’s foreign affairs secretary, on June 9.

The two neighbours have been at odds since United States President Donald Trump on May 30 threatened to hit all Mexican imports with steadily rising tariffs unless Mexico successfully halted the northward flow of Central American migrants fleeing extreme poverty and violence through Mexico toward the United States.

Approximately 80 per cent of Mexican exports are destined for the United States. Tariffs would have devastated Mexico’s economy.

To keep its goods untaxed, Mexico had to convince President Trump that it was serious about stopping migration. After a week of frantic negotiations, Mexico said it would deploy up to 6,000 National Guard troops to its southern border with Guatemala to stop migrants from entering Mexico.

As part of the agreement, a Trump administration program known as “Remain in Mexico,” which forces some migrants to wait in Mexico while their asylum claims are processed in the US, will also be expanded.

At a June 8 rally “for the dignity of Mexico and friendship with the US” held in the border city of Tijuana, López Obrador pledged that Mexico will reinforce its southern border while still “applying the law and respecting the human rights” of migrants.

Ebrard added at the rally that Mexico had emerged from a near trade war with its “dignity intact.”

Doing the dirty work 
 
As a law professor who teaches human rights, I believe that dignity will come at great cost to both Mexico and to the migrants fleeing extreme poverty and violence in Central America.

Many Mexican lawmakers, including allies of the president, have expressed outrage that their immigration policy is now bound by an “immoral and unacceptable” deal that effectively turns Mexico itself into Trump’s border wall.

The agreement violates the campaign promises of López Obrador, who took office in December promising to protect migrants’ rights and pledging not to do the U.S.‘s “dirty work” on border enforcement.

It also violates the Mexican Constitution and international law.

According to international refugee law asylum-seekers with demonstrable fear of persecution in their home countries are entitled to seek protection in the place of their choosing. Mexican law goes further. As of 2011, legitimate asylum-seekers are entitled not just to seek but to be granted asylum in Mexico.

Trump’s economic threats against Mexico may not even have been legal. Both the current North American Free Trade Agreement and the newly signed – but not yet ratified – United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement require most trade between North American countries to be tariff-free.

Even before the recent negotiations, López Obrador was already quietly complying with US demands to do more to prevent migrants from reaching the US.

Between January and May of this year, Mexico detained 74,031 migrants – a 36 per cent increase compared to the same period last year under former Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto. The number of migrants deported from Mexico tripled from 5,717 in December 2018 to 15,654 in April 2019, government statistics show.

Sending troops out to target migrants, as Mexico has now promised to do, will almost certainly result in the excessive use of force against these migrants.

The Mexican National Guard is an untested new military police force with immigration enforcement powers. Its creation in early 2019 was highly controversial in Mexico given the Mexican military’s extraordinarily violent law enforcement record.

Between 2007 and 2017, when troops were helping police fight Mexican drug cartels, the National Human Rights Commission received over 13,700 complaints of human rights violations committed by soldiers against civilians. These included accusations of arbitrary arrests, torture and extrajudicial killings.

Mexico is not a safe country 
 
Beyond avoiding tariffs, Mexico’s main victory in its negotiations with the United States appears to be having resisted pressure to sign a “safe third country” agreement.

Under such an agreement, refugees are required to apply for asylum in the country where they first land and not the country where they ultimately want to settle. This means that one country can reject a person’s asylum application if they have already been granted asylum by another country.

Canada and the US&nbsp;signed such an agreement in 2002, and Trump has been pushing Mexico to do the same since spring 2018. Under this proposal, thousands of migrants in Mexico who have already applied for asylum in the United States and are now waiting for an answer would see their applications invalidated.

Foreign Secretary Ebrard consistently rejected that proposal. He insisted that a safe third country arrangement would violate the Mexican Constitution and Mexico’s international human rights agreements.

But it is not actually clear how the newly expanded “Remain in Mexico” program – the details of which have not yet been released – will differ in practice from a safe third country agreement.

Migrants may end up staying in Mexico for years while they await their asylum hearing in the United States. During that period, Mexico will be responsible for housing, feeding and protecting refugees.

Jorge Castañeda, Mexico’s secretary of foreign affairs from 2000 to 2003, has derided Mexico’s commitment as a “light” safe third country agreement.

The mere idea that Mexico is safe is “a particularly cynical bout of wishful thinking,” as Mexican journalist León Krauze put it in a recent Washington Post op-ed.

Mexico is one of the world’s most dangerous places. An estimated 33,000 people were murdered there last year – twice the average annual homicides in the United States in a country with less than half the population.

Dozens of Central Americans have disappeared from migrant caravans journeying northward in Mexico. Over 90 per cent of migrants say they do not feel safe in Mexico, according to a survey of 500 Central American asylum-seekers conducted in February 2018.

Mexico must do more with less

The “Remain in Mexico” policy is likely to result in a significant increase in claims filed for asylum in Mexico, where the immigration system is already under enormous strain.

Around 29,000 people applied for asylum in Mexico in 2018, according to United Nations data. This year, between January and March, Mexico received 12,716 asylum applications – 43 per cent of last year’s total in just three months.

The Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance, which processes asylum claims, currently has a two-year backlog.

It will now have to do more with less.

Under López Obrador’s austerity policies, the commission’s 2019 budget was cut 20 per cent, to about $1 million – its lowest budget since 2011.

More migrants, less money, extreme violence and a recalcitrant, unpredictable northern neighbour – these are the ingredients of a refugee crisis, not a diplomatic victory. 
&nbsp;

(This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/migrants-will-pay-the-price-of-mexicos-tariff-deal-with-trump-118269">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)&nbsp;

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is celebrating an agreement avoiding US tariffs as a major political and diplomatic triumph for his government. “We didn’t win everything, but we were able to claim a victory with there being no tariffs,” said chief negotiator Marcelo Ebrard, Mexico’s foreign affairs secretary, on June 9.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is celebrating an agreement avoiding US tariffs as a major political and diplomatic triumph for his government. “We didn’t win everything, but we were able to claim a victory with there being no tariffs,” said chief negotiator Marcelo Ebrard, Mexico’s foreign affairs secretary, on June 9. The two neighbours have been at odds since United States President Donald Trump on May 30 threatened to hit all Mexican imports with steadily rising tariffs unless Mexico successfully halted the northward flow of Central American migrants fleeing extreme poverty and violence through Mexico toward the United States. Approximately 80 per cent of Mexican exports are destined for the United States. Tariffs would have devastated Mexico’s economy. To keep its goods untaxed, Mexico had to convince President Trump that it was serious about stopping migration. After a week of frantic negotiations, Mexico said it would deploy up to 6,000 National Guard troops to its southern border with Guatemala to stop migrants from entering Mexico. As part of the agreement, a Trump administration program known as “Remain in Mexico,” which forces some migrants to wait in Mexico while their asylum claims are processed in the US, will also be expanded. At a June 8 rally “for the dignity of Mexico and friendship with the US” held in the border city of Tijuana, López Obrador pledged that Mexico will reinforce its southern border while still “applying the law and respecting the human rights” of migrants. Ebrard added at the rally that Mexico had emerged from a near trade war with its “dignity intact.” Doing the dirty work As a law professor who teaches human rights, I believe that dignity will come at great cost to both Mexico and to the migrants fleeing extreme poverty and violence in Central America. Many Mexican lawmakers, including allies of the president, have expressed outrage that their immigration policy is now bound by an “immoral and unacceptable” deal that effectively turns Mexico itself into Trump’s border wall. The agreement violates the campaign promises of López Obrador, who took office in December promising to protect migrants’ rights and pledging not to do the U.S.‘s “dirty work” on border enforcement. It also violates the Mexican Constitution and international law. According to international refugee law asylum-seekers with demonstrable fear of persecution in their home countries are entitled to seek protection in the place of their choosing. Mexican law goes further. As of 2011, legitimate asylum-seekers are entitled not just to seek but to be granted asylum in Mexico. Trump’s economic threats against Mexico may not even have been legal. Both the current North American Free Trade Agreement and the newly signed – but not yet ratified – United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement require most trade between North American countries to be tariff-free. Even before the recent negotiations, López Obrador was already quietly complying with US demands to do more to prevent migrants from reaching the US. Between January and May of this year, Mexico detained 74,031 migrants – a 36 per cent increase compared to the same period last year under former Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto. The number of migrants deported from Mexico tripled from 5,717 in December 2018 to 15,654 in April 2019, government statistics show. Sending troops out to target migrants, as Mexico has now promised to do, will almost certainly result in the excessive use of force against these migrants. The Mexican National Guard is an untested new military police force with immigration enforcement powers. Its creation in early 2019 was highly controversial in Mexico given the Mexican military’s extraordinarily violent law enforcement record. Between 2007 and 2017, when troops were helping police fight Mexican drug cartels, the National Human Rights Commission received over 13,700 complaints of human rights violations committed by soldiers against civilians. These included accusations of arbitrary arrests, torture and extrajudicial killings. Mexico is not a safe country Beyond avoiding tariffs, Mexico’s main victory in its negotiations with the United States appears to be having resisted pressure to sign a “safe third country” agreement. Under such an agreement, refugees are required to apply for asylum in the country where they first land and not the country where they ultimately want to settle. This means that one country can reject a person’s asylum application if they have already been granted asylum by another country. Canada and the US signed such an agreement in 2002, and Trump has been pushing Mexico to do the same since spring 2018. Under this proposal, thousands of migrants in Mexico who have already applied for asylum in the United States and are now waiting for an answer would see their applications invalidated. Foreign Secretary Ebrard consistently rejected that proposal. He insisted that a safe third country arrangement would violate the Mexican Constitution and Mexico’s international human rights agreements. But it is not actually clear how the newly expanded “Remain in Mexico” program – the details of which have not yet been released – will differ in practice from a safe third country agreement. Migrants may end up staying in Mexico for years while they await their asylum hearing in the United States. During that period, Mexico will be responsible for housing, feeding and protecting refugees. Jorge Castañeda, Mexico’s secretary of foreign affairs from 2000 to 2003, has derided Mexico’s commitment as a “light” safe third country agreement. The mere idea that Mexico is safe is “a particularly cynical bout of wishful thinking,” as Mexican journalist León Krauze put it in a recent Washington Post op-ed. Mexico is one of the world’s most dangerous places. An estimated 33,000 people were murdered there last year – twice the average annual homicides in the United States in a country with less than half the population. Dozens of Central Americans have disappeared from migrant caravans journeying northward in Mexico. Over 90 per cent of migrants say they do not feel safe in Mexico, according to a survey of 500 Central American asylum-seekers conducted in February 2018. Mexico must do more with less The “Remain in Mexico” policy is likely to result in a significant increase in claims filed for asylum in Mexico, where the immigration system is already under enormous strain. Around 29,000 people applied for asylum in Mexico in 2018, according to United Nations data. This year, between January and March, Mexico received 12,716 asylum applications – 43 per cent of last year’s total in just three months. The Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance, which processes asylum claims, currently has a two-year backlog. It will now have to do more with less. Under López Obrador’s austerity policies, the commission’s 2019 budget was cut 20 per cent, to about $1 million – its lowest budget since 2011. More migrants, less money, extreme violence and a recalcitrant, unpredictable northern neighbour – these are the ingredients of a refugee crisis, not a diplomatic victory. (This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

Migrants will pay the price of Mexico’s tariff deal with Trump

<div class="content" itemprop="articleBody">
Defending the immigration deal the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-says-he-is-confident-mexico-will-try-very-hard-to-enforce-new-immigration-deal-225578/amp">United States</a> reached with <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/its-business-as-usual-at-mexicos-southern-border-despite-trump-deal-225581">Mexico</a>, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo on Monday termed the agreement as a "significant win" for Washington and reflects "diplomacy at its finest."

"Frankly, it reflects diplomacy at its finest. It shows the enduring strength, too, of the relationship between our two countries. It's a significant win for the American people," Pompeo told reporters at a press briefing.

Reiterating US' stand on tough immigration, Pompeo said that migrants who crossed the southern border would be "rapidly returned" to Mexico and Washington will now have the "full-throttle" capacity to send asylum seekers back to Mexico.

"Those crossing the US southern border to seek asylum will be rapidly returned to Mexico where they may await the adjudication of their asylum claims. We've seen this before. We were able to do this to the tune of a couple of hundred people per day," he said.

"We now have the capacity to do this full throttle and engage this in a way that will make a fundamental difference in the calculus for those deciding to transit Mexico to try to get into the United States," Pompeo added. 
Talking about the immigration deal, the Secretary of State asserted that it underlined US' commitment to tackle illegal immigration at the southern border.

"The deal continues the Trump administration's commitment - the strongest by any administration in history - to confront the tide of illegal immigration and many other problems along our southern border, including the drug trafficking issues that transit there. The President is doing precisely what he said he would do," he said.

Pompeo said, "We agreed to a number of things, including the placement of 6,000 Mexican National Guard along the Mexican southern border. It's the biggest effort to date that the Mexicans have committed. It's something that we pressed for with them throughout the time of the negotiations." 
He said that both the US and Mexico will work closely to make the deal successful.

On June 7, President Donald Trump had announced that his administration reached an agreement with Mexico over immigration, owing to which tariffs on the Central American country were "indefinitely suspended," after days of gruelling negotiations between the two sides.

According to the deal, Mexico has agreed to strengthen its security presence at the southern border to stop the flow of Central American migrants from entering the US and boost intelligence sharing with Washington.

Mexico has also said that it would take stringent action against human and drug trafficking rings.

Trump had threatened to impose a five per cent tariff on all Mexican goods from June 10, which would increase by another five per cent every month and ultimately reach 25 per cent by October.
</div>

Defending the immigration deal the United States reached with Mexico, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo on Monday termed the agreement as a "significant win" for Washington and reflects "diplomacy at its finest.

Defending the immigration deal the United States reached with Mexico, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo on Monday termed the agreement as a "significant win" for Washington and reflects "diplomacy at its finest." "Frankly, it reflects diplomacy at its finest. It shows the enduring strength, too, of the relationship between our two countries. It's a significant win for the American people," Pompeo told reporters at a press briefing. Reiterating US' stand on tough immigration, Pompeo said that migrants who crossed the southern border would be "rapidly returned" to Mexico and Washington will now have the "full-throttle" capacity to send asylum seekers back to Mexico. "Those crossing the US southern border to seek asylum will be rapidly returned to Mexico where they may await the adjudication of their asylum claims. We've seen this before. We were able to do this to the tune of a couple of hundred people per day," he said. "We now have the capacity to do this full throttle and engage this in a way that will make a fundamental difference in the calculus for those deciding to transit Mexico to try to get into the United States," Pompeo added. Talking about the immigration deal, the Secretary of State asserted that it underlined US' commitment to tackle illegal immigration at the southern border. "The deal continues the Trump administration's commitment - the strongest by any administration in history - to confront the tide of illegal immigration and many other problems along our southern border, including the drug trafficking issues that transit there. The President is doing precisely what he said he would do," he said. Pompeo said, "We agreed to a number of things, including the placement of 6,000 Mexican National Guard along the Mexican southern border. It's the biggest effort to date that the Mexicans have committed. It's something that we pressed for with them throughout the time of the negotiations." He said that both the US and Mexico will work closely to make the deal successful. On June 7, President Donald Trump had announced that his administration reached an agreement with Mexico over immigration, owing to which tariffs on the Central American country were "indefinitely suspended," after days of gruelling negotiations between the two sides. According to the deal, Mexico has agreed to strengthen its security presence at the southern border to stop the flow of Central American migrants from entering the US and boost intelligence sharing with Washington. Mexico has also said that it would take stringent action against human and drug trafficking rings. Trump had threatened to impose a five per cent tariff on all Mexican goods from June 10, which would increase by another five per cent every month and ultimately reach 25 per cent by October.

Mexico immigration deal 'significant win' for US: Pompeo

Mexico and the United States might consider additional steps next month to restrict illegal immigration from Central America, including measures to bind Brazil and Panama into their efforts, Mexico`s foreign minister said on Monday.&nbsp;

Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said the measures could be needed if a deal announced last week between Washington and Mexico fails to reduce within 45 days the numbers of migrants entering Mexico, mainly from Central America, on their way to the US border.&nbsp;

The deal averted import tariffs on all Mexican goods that President Donald Trump had threatened to impose unless Mexico committed to do more to fight illegal immigration into the United States.&nbsp;

US stocks were higher on Monday after the United States shelved the tariff plan, easing worries about the impact of another trade war on the global economy. The Mexican peso was up more than 2 per cent against the dollar but major risks remain for the currency.

Under the agreement, Mexico will rapidly expand a program under which migrants applying for asylum in the United States wait out the process in Mexico. It has also pledged to reinforce its southern border with Guatemala with 6,000 members of its National Guard militarised police force.

But Trump said on Monday he would go ahead with the proposed tariffs if Mexico`s Congress did not back part of the deal that may need lawmakers` approval.

"We do not anticipate a problem with the vote but, if for any reason the approval is not forthcoming, tariffs will be reinstated," he wrote on Twitter.&nbsp; 
Ebrard told a news conference that Trump was referring to possible further measures to pressure countries other than the United States to share the burden.

BRAZIL, PANAMA, GUATEMALA&nbsp;

"If the measures we are proposing are not successful, we have to discuss with the United States and with other countries, like Guatemala, Panama and Brazil," he said. "It is a regional system."

"If we have to participate in a regional model like the one I have just described, we would have to present that to Congress," Ebrard said. 
Many of the migrants are families trying to escape poverty and violent crime in Central America, one of the most impoverished areas in the Western Hemisphere.&nbsp;

Asylum seekers from El Salvador and Honduras first pass through Guatemala when fleeing their homes, while Cubans and Haitians often fly first to Panama before heading to the United States through Mexico.&nbsp; 
Migrants from African countries regularly fly to Brazil before making the arduous journey north.

While he did not go into detail, Ebrard suggested that asylum seekers might have to seek refuge in the first country they reached after leaving their homeland.

That is different from a long-standing US demand that Mexico be declared a safe place for asylum seekers, requiring them to seek refuge in Mexico if they passed through the country on the way to the United States. That demand was put on the table again by US negotiators last week, but was not accepted by Mexico.

Any plan that called on Brazil, Guatemala or Panama to take in more asylum seekers would require cooperation from those countries.

US&nbsp;border officers apprehended more than 132,000 people crossing from Mexico in May, the highest monthly level since 2006. Trump, who has called the surge in migrants an "invasion," had threatened to keep raising duties up to 25% unless Mexico did more to curb it.

The Trump administration said on Monday that Kenneth Cuccinelli would serve as the new acting director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services, which oversees the nation`s legal immigration system. Cuccinelli, a former attorney general of Virginia, has developed a reputation as a hardliner on immigration.&nbsp;

He has called for denying citizenship to US-born children whose parents are in the country illegally, and authorized law enforcement officials to investigate the immigration status of anyone they stopped.

Mexico had no specific target for the reduction of migrant numbers, Ebrard said. Still, Martha Barcena, Mexico`s ambassador to Washington, told CBS News on the weekend there had been discussion of reducing the numbers to levels of around 2018.

Ebrard also said there was no agreement between the United States and Mexico to purchase more agricultural products under the accord, despite Trump saying over the weekend that Mexico had agreed to buy "large quantities" from US farmers.&nbsp;

Ebrard said he thought Trump might be making a calculation based on Mexican agricultural imports when freed from the threat of tariffs.

Mexico and the United States might consider additional steps next month to restrict illegal immigration from Central America, including measures to bind Brazil and Panama into their efforts, Mexico`s foreign minister said on Monday.

Mexico and the United States might consider additional steps next month to restrict illegal immigration from Central America, including measures to bind Brazil and Panama into their efforts, Mexico`s foreign minister said on Monday. Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said the measures could be needed if a deal announced last week between Washington and Mexico fails to reduce within 45 days the numbers of migrants entering Mexico, mainly from Central America, on their way to the US border. The deal averted import tariffs on all Mexican goods that President Donald Trump had threatened to impose unless Mexico committed to do more to fight illegal immigration into the United States. US stocks were higher on Monday after the United States shelved the tariff plan, easing worries about the impact of another trade war on the global economy. The Mexican peso was up more than 2 per cent against the dollar but major risks remain for the currency. Under the agreement, Mexico will rapidly expand a program under which migrants applying for asylum in the United States wait out the process in Mexico. It has also pledged to reinforce its southern border with Guatemala with 6,000 members of its National Guard militarised police force. But Trump said on Monday he would go ahead with the proposed tariffs if Mexico`s Congress did not back part of the deal that may need lawmakers` approval. "We do not anticipate a problem with the vote but, if for any reason the approval is not forthcoming, tariffs will be reinstated," he wrote on Twitter. Ebrard told a news conference that Trump was referring to possible further measures to pressure countries other than the United States to share the burden. BRAZIL, PANAMA, GUATEMALA "If the measures we are proposing are not successful, we have to discuss with the United States and with other countries, like Guatemala, Panama and Brazil," he said. "It is a regional system." "If we have to participate in a regional model like the one I have just described, we would have to present that to Congress," Ebrard said. Many of the migrants are families trying to escape poverty and violent crime in Central America, one of the most impoverished areas in the Western Hemisphere. Asylum seekers from El Salvador and Honduras first pass through Guatemala when fleeing their homes, while Cubans and Haitians often fly first to Panama before heading to the United States through Mexico. Migrants from African countries regularly fly to Brazil before making the arduous journey north. While he did not go into detail, Ebrard suggested that asylum seekers might have to seek refuge in the first country they reached after leaving their homeland. That is different from a long-standing US demand that Mexico be declared a safe place for asylum seekers, requiring them to seek refuge in Mexico if they passed through the country on the way to the United States. That demand was put on the table again by US negotiators last week, but was not accepted by Mexico. Any plan that called on Brazil, Guatemala or Panama to take in more asylum seekers would require cooperation from those countries. US border officers apprehended more than 132,000 people crossing from Mexico in May, the highest monthly level since 2006. Trump, who has called the surge in migrants an "invasion," had threatened to keep raising duties up to 25% unless Mexico did more to curb it. The Trump administration said on Monday that Kenneth Cuccinelli would serve as the new acting director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services, which oversees the nation`s legal immigration system. Cuccinelli, a former attorney general of Virginia, has developed a reputation as a hardliner on immigration. He has called for denying citizenship to US-born children whose parents are in the country illegally, and authorized law enforcement officials to investigate the immigration status of anyone they stopped. Mexico had no specific target for the reduction of migrant numbers, Ebrard said. Still, Martha Barcena, Mexico`s ambassador to Washington, told CBS News on the weekend there had been discussion of reducing the numbers to levels of around 2018. Ebrard also said there was no agreement between the United States and Mexico to purchase more agricultural products under the accord, despite Trump saying over the weekend that Mexico had agreed to buy "large quantities" from US farmers. Ebrard said he thought Trump might be making a calculation based on Mexican agricultural imports when freed from the threat of tariffs.

Mexico eyes Brazil for US asylum deal, Trump revives tariff threat

WION Speed News: Watch top national and international news of the morning - June 11th, 2019

A truck driver transporting Mexican goods to the United States expressed relief near the border on Monday (June 10), after Mexico averted a tariff war with its largest trading partner.

Relief at Mexico-U.S. border after Trump calls off tariffs threat

The head of a Mexico-based church charged in Los Angeles with multiple sex crimes, including rape of a minor and a woman, appeared in court on Monday (June 10) along with his co-defendants.

Mexican church leader held on $50 mln bail appears in court in Los Angeles

&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mexico-reaches-deal-with-us-on-migration-averting-tariff-war-trump-225346">US President Donald Trump</a> defended his administration's deal with Mexico against criticism that there were no major new commitments to stem a flow of Central American migrants crossing into the United States and said on Sunday more details would soon be released.

Key aspects of the agreement are still unclear, including whether Mexico has pledged to buy more US agricultural products and if the deal materially expanded a previous commitment by Mexico to more vigorously police its southern border with Guatemala.

Top Democratic senators said many aspects of the deal were not new, while the Mexican ambassador to the United States declined to confirm whether it contained any commitments on agricultural goods.

The deal announced on Friday after three days of talks in Washington averted Trump's threatened imposition of 5% import tariffs on all Mexican goods that had been due to start on Monday unless Mexico committed to doing more to help reduce an increase in migrants arriving at the US southern border.

"Mexico was not being cooperative on the Border...and now I have full confidence, especially after speaking to their President yesterday, that they will be very cooperative and want to get the job properly done," Trump said on Twitter.

"Importantly, some things not mentioned in the yesterday press release, one in particular, were agreed upon. That will be announced at the appropriate time," he added.

Trump did not elaborate and the White House and State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Friday's joint communique broadly sketched the terms of the agreement but contained few details.

The Mexican peso jumped against the dollar in Asian markets and US equity futures rose on Sunday following the deal.

The agreement expedites a program known as the Migration Protection Protocols that was announced in December. That program sends migrants seeking asylum in the United States to wait in Mexico while their cases are being processed.

Friday's agreement would see the United States immediately expand the implementation of the MPP across its entire 2,000-mile (3,220-km) southern border, the State Department said on Friday.

But as of Sunday night, US-bound asylum seekers were not yet being sent back to additional Mexican border towns, three Mexican officials said.

Officials in the Mexican border states of Sonora, south of the US states of Arizona and New Mexico, and Tamaulipas, south of Texas, said they were unaware of plans to expand the number of border crossings where the asylum seekers must be returned to Mexican territory to await processing.

The deal will also see Mexico deploy the National Guard police force to its southern border, where many Central American migrants enter Mexico.

Uncertainty over Agriculture

On Saturday, a New York Times report, citing officials from both countries familiar with the negotiations, said most of Friday's deal had already been sketched out in March, when Mexico agreed to deploy its National Guard throughout the country, with priority given to the southern border.

Trump tweeted on Sunday that the Times report was false, adding: "We have been trying to get some of these Border Actions for a long time, as have other administrations, but were not able to get them, or get them in full, until our signed agreement with Mexico."

But it was business as usual over the weekend at the busiest crossing point along Mexico's porous southern border with Guatemala. Evidence of Mexico's promised crackdown on new arrivals trying to reach the United States was nowhere to be seen, as a small fleet of rafts carried migrants hoping to escape the violence of Central America.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer also said there appeared to be little new in the deal, adding it was a "bogus" solution used by Trump to get out of an ill-conceived tariff threat.

"This is likely to have only a small impact on solving the root causes of Central American migration because many of the components are things Mexico had already said they would do," Schumer said on Twitter.

US Vice President Mike Pence said on Twitter, however, that Trump's "strong stand got Mexico to do things they have never done before."

There is further uncertainty around Trump's comments on Saturday that Mexico had agreed to "immediately begin" buying "large quantities" of agricultural goods from US farmers.

Mexican officials have not confirmed any new agreement on agricultural products. Asked repeatedly about such a deal on CBS on Sunday, the Mexican ambassador to the United States, Martha Bárcena Coqui, said only that trade would increase without the tariffs. She said there were many details discussed during negotiations that were not in the written declaration.

She noted Mexico was already a top US trade partner in agricultural products. Mexico is the top importer of US corn, wheat, pork and dairy by volume.

On Saturday, Mexico's foreign minister, Marcelo Ebrard, tweeted that the deal should boost economic growth and therefore demand for US agricultural products, but he also stopped short of saying that the deal contained a commitment on Mexico's part to purchase more goods from the United States.

US President Donald Trump defended his administration's deal with Mexico against criticism that there were no major new commitments to stem a flow of Central American migrants crossing into the United States and said on Sunday more details would soon be released.

US President Donald Trump defended his administration's deal with Mexico against criticism that there were no major new commitments to stem a flow of Central American migrants crossing into the United States and said on Sunday more details would soon be released. Key aspects of the agreement are still unclear, including whether Mexico has pledged to buy more US agricultural products and if the deal materially expanded a previous commitment by Mexico to more vigorously police its southern border with Guatemala. Top Democratic senators said many aspects of the deal were not new, while the Mexican ambassador to the United States declined to confirm whether it contained any commitments on agricultural goods. The deal announced on Friday after three days of talks in Washington averted Trump's threatened imposition of 5% import tariffs on all Mexican goods that had been due to start on Monday unless Mexico committed to doing more to help reduce an increase in migrants arriving at the US southern border. "Mexico was not being cooperative on the Border...and now I have full confidence, especially after speaking to their President yesterday, that they will be very cooperative and want to get the job properly done," Trump said on Twitter. "Importantly, some things not mentioned in the yesterday press release, one in particular, were agreed upon. That will be announced at the appropriate time," he added. Trump did not elaborate and the White House and State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Friday's joint communique broadly sketched the terms of the agreement but contained few details. The Mexican peso jumped against the dollar in Asian markets and US equity futures rose on Sunday following the deal. The agreement expedites a program known as the Migration Protection Protocols that was announced in December. That program sends migrants seeking asylum in the United States to wait in Mexico while their cases are being processed. Friday's agreement would see the United States immediately expand the implementation of the MPP across its entire 2,000-mile (3,220-km) southern border, the State Department said on Friday. But as of Sunday night, US-bound asylum seekers were not yet being sent back to additional Mexican border towns, three Mexican officials said. Officials in the Mexican border states of Sonora, south of the US states of Arizona and New Mexico, and Tamaulipas, south of Texas, said they were unaware of plans to expand the number of border crossings where the asylum seekers must be returned to Mexican territory to await processing. The deal will also see Mexico deploy the National Guard police force to its southern border, where many Central American migrants enter Mexico. Uncertainty over Agriculture On Saturday, a New York Times report, citing officials from both countries familiar with the negotiations, said most of Friday's deal had already been sketched out in March, when Mexico agreed to deploy its National Guard throughout the country, with priority given to the southern border. Trump tweeted on Sunday that the Times report was false, adding: "We have been trying to get some of these Border Actions for a long time, as have other administrations, but were not able to get them, or get them in full, until our signed agreement with Mexico." But it was business as usual over the weekend at the busiest crossing point along Mexico's porous southern border with Guatemala. Evidence of Mexico's promised crackdown on new arrivals trying to reach the United States was nowhere to be seen, as a small fleet of rafts carried migrants hoping to escape the violence of Central America. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer also said there appeared to be little new in the deal, adding it was a "bogus" solution used by Trump to get out of an ill-conceived tariff threat. "This is likely to have only a small impact on solving the root causes of Central American migration because many of the components are things Mexico had already said they would do," Schumer said on Twitter. US Vice President Mike Pence said on Twitter, however, that Trump's "strong stand got Mexico to do things they have never done before." There is further uncertainty around Trump's comments on Saturday that Mexico had agreed to "immediately begin" buying "large quantities" of agricultural goods from US farmers. Mexican officials have not confirmed any new agreement on agricultural products. Asked repeatedly about such a deal on CBS on Sunday, the Mexican ambassador to the United States, Martha Bárcena Coqui, said only that trade would increase without the tariffs. She said there were many details discussed during negotiations that were not in the written declaration. She noted Mexico was already a top US trade partner in agricultural products. Mexico is the top importer of US corn, wheat, pork and dairy by volume. On Saturday, Mexico's foreign minister, Marcelo Ebrard, tweeted that the deal should boost economic growth and therefore demand for US agricultural products, but he also stopped short of saying that the deal contained a commitment on Mexico's part to purchase more goods from the United States.

Trump defends Mexico migration deal and pledges more detail

WION Speed News: Watch top national and international news of the morning - June 10th, 2019

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-says-he-is-confident-mexico-will-try-very-hard-to-enforce-new-immigration-deal-225578">Trump says he is confident Mexico will 'try very hard' to enforce new immigration deal</a>

US&nbsp;President Donald Trump on Saturday predicted Mexico would strongly enforce a new deal under which it agreed to expand a controversial asylum program and boost security on its southern border to stem Central American migrants trying to reach the United States.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-says-he-is-confident-mexico-will-try-very-hard-to-enforce-new-immigration-deal-225578">Sudan protest group calls nationwide 'civil disobedience'</a>

A key protest group on Saturday announced a nationwide "civil disobedience" campaign in Sudan. The campaign would run until Sudan's ruling generals transfer power to a civilian government, the protest group said.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-envoy-in-interview-does-not-rule-out-israeli-annexation-in-west-bank-225577">US envoy, in interview, does not rule out Israeli annexation in West Bank</a>

The US ambassador to Israel did not rule out an&nbsp;Israeli&nbsp;move to annex parts of the occupied West Bank, land that the&nbsp;Palestinians&nbsp;seek for a state, in an interview with the New York Times published on Saturday.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/its-business-as-usual-at-mexicos-southern-border-despite-trump-deal-225581">It's business as usual at Mexico's southern border despite Trump deal</a>

On Saturday, at the busiest crossing point along Mexico`s porous southern border with Guatemala, evidence of Mexico`s promised crackdown on waves of new arrivals trying to reach the United States was nowhere to be seen.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/pm-modi-in-sri-lanka-today-will-be-personally-received-by-sri-lankan-counterpart-wickremesinghe-in-colombo-225582">PM Modi in Sri Lanka today, will be personally received by Sri Lankan counterpart Wickremesinghe in Colombo</a>

After a day-long visit to the Maldives, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a state visit to Sri Lanka on Sunday.&nbsp;The prime minister will be personally received by his Sri Lankan counterpart Ranil Wickremesinghe in Colombo today.&nbsp;

 
 
&nbsp;

Trump says he is confident Mexico will 'try very hard' to enforce new immigration deal US President Donald Trump on Saturday predicted Mexico would strongly enforce a new deal under which it agreed to expand a controversial asylum program and boost security on its southern border to stem Central American migrants trying to reach the United States.

Trump says he is confident Mexico will 'try very hard' to enforce new immigration deal US President Donald Trump on Saturday predicted Mexico would strongly enforce a new deal under which it agreed to expand a controversial asylum program and boost security on its southern border to stem Central American migrants trying to reach the United States. Sudan protest group calls nationwide 'civil disobedience' A key protest group on Saturday announced a nationwide "civil disobedience" campaign in Sudan. The campaign would run until Sudan's ruling generals transfer power to a civilian government, the protest group said. US envoy, in interview, does not rule out Israeli annexation in West Bank The US ambassador to Israel did not rule out an Israeli move to annex parts of the occupied West Bank, land that the Palestinians seek for a state, in an interview with the New York Times published on Saturday. It's business as usual at Mexico's southern border despite Trump deal On Saturday, at the busiest crossing point along Mexico`s porous southern border with Guatemala, evidence of Mexico`s promised crackdown on waves of new arrivals trying to reach the United States was nowhere to be seen. PM Modi in Sri Lanka today, will be personally received by Sri Lankan counterpart Wickremesinghe in Colombo After a day-long visit to the Maldives, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a state visit to Sri Lanka on Sunday. The prime minister will be personally received by his Sri Lankan counterpart Ranil Wickremesinghe in Colombo today.

News brief: Big stories of the day

On Saturday, at the busiest crossing point along Mexico`s porous southern border with Guatemala, evidence of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-says-immigration-deal-will-work-if-mexico-plays-its-part-225505">Mexico`s promised crackdown</a> on waves of new arrivals trying to reach the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mexico-reaches-deal-with-us-on-migration-averting-tariff-war-trump-225346">United States </a>was nowhere to be seen.

Within sight of a bridge connecting Mexico to Guatemala, a fleet of about 16 rafts carried migrants hoping to escape poverty and gang-related violence in Central America.

A few police appeared briefly at dawn on the Mexican shore, people said, but they vanished as fast. Nothing else outwardly changed despite a deal struck in Washington on Friday in which Mexico vowed to stem the northern flow of migrants with a crackdown on illegal crossings across the Guatemala border.

The travellers, often exploited by cross-border guides called "coyotes" and security forces out to make a buck, said the business of illegal immigration was unaltered by the deal in Washington.&nbsp;

Over the past few months, Mexico has stepped up efforts to stem the flow of immigrants. In May, authorities detained nearly 23,000 migrants, triple the number in January and about twice the monthly average in the first five months of last year.

However, most of that activity has taken place further from the border between Chiapas state and Guatemala. On Friday, negotiators agreed to send up to 6,000 members of the National Guard security force into Chiapas after Trump`s calls for Mexico to secure the frontier.&nbsp;

Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said that deployment would start on Monday. For now, the decades` old business of ferrying people across the river to dodge usual passport controls has not been interrupted.

Another common practice that undermines Mexico`s efforts is corruption among low-paid police forces.

Seven Salvadorians and Hondurans who said they crossed the river by raft on Friday at dawn told Reuters that Chiapas state police officers had pulled them out of small public buses on their way to the Mexican border town of Tapachula where they were heading to seek papers.

"They took 100 Mexican pesos ($5) from me, 200 from him, about 1,000 altogether between us - and that other family," said Jaime Mejia, 44, a Salvadoran pastor, squatting on a Tapachula sidewalk, nodding down the block at clutches of bedraggled men, women and children perched among bags and bundles.

The toll paid to the police, he said, left the group without money to pay for lodging. Chiapas security officials and Mexico`s interior ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Mejia said he fled the town of La Libertad, El Salvador, after members of the country`s dominant gang, MS-13, told him to surrender his church to them to stash their weapons and drugs.&nbsp;

Asked about the immigration talks between the Trump and Lopez Obrador governments that could decide their fate, Mejia and more than 20 other migrants who spoke with Reuters on Friday and Saturday shrugged, shook their heads and looked blankly.

Friday`s deal averted a US-Mexico tariff war, with Mexico also agreeing to expand asylum programs. President Donald Trump had threatened to impose 5% import tariffs on all Mexican goods starting on Monday if Mexico did not commit to do more to tighten its borders.

Tapachula, a first stop for many migrants on their journey north, was overflowing with migrants, from Central America, Cuba and elsewhere.

After the shakedown by police, Mejia and his group headed to the city`s office of the Mexican refugee agency to apply for asylum in Mexico. Each one was given a number to reappear days later for an interview, Mejia said.&nbsp;

But they found that the migration shelters -only three in town - were overflowing. With no money left, they had to bed down in the street.

Olga Sanchez, head of the Jesus El Buen Pastor migrant shelter, said she had been caring for about 700 people since about November. Among those at the shelter were about 200 children.

On Saturday, at the busiest crossing point along Mexico`s porous southern border with Guatemala, evidence of Mexico`s promised crackdown on waves of new arrivals trying to reach the United States was nowhere to be seen.

On Saturday, at the busiest crossing point along Mexico`s porous southern border with Guatemala, evidence of Mexico`s promised crackdown on waves of new arrivals trying to reach the United States was nowhere to be seen. Within sight of a bridge connecting Mexico to Guatemala, a fleet of about 16 rafts carried migrants hoping to escape poverty and gang-related violence in Central America. A few police appeared briefly at dawn on the Mexican shore, people said, but they vanished as fast. Nothing else outwardly changed despite a deal struck in Washington on Friday in which Mexico vowed to stem the northern flow of migrants with a crackdown on illegal crossings across the Guatemala border. The travellers, often exploited by cross-border guides called "coyotes" and security forces out to make a buck, said the business of illegal immigration was unaltered by the deal in Washington. Over the past few months, Mexico has stepped up efforts to stem the flow of immigrants. In May, authorities detained nearly 23,000 migrants, triple the number in January and about twice the monthly average in the first five months of last year. However, most of that activity has taken place further from the border between Chiapas state and Guatemala. On Friday, negotiators agreed to send up to 6,000 members of the National Guard security force into Chiapas after Trump`s calls for Mexico to secure the frontier. Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said that deployment would start on Monday. For now, the decades` old business of ferrying people across the river to dodge usual passport controls has not been interrupted. Another common practice that undermines Mexico`s efforts is corruption among low-paid police forces. Seven Salvadorians and Hondurans who said they crossed the river by raft on Friday at dawn told Reuters that Chiapas state police officers had pulled them out of small public buses on their way to the Mexican border town of Tapachula where they were heading to seek papers. "They took 100 Mexican pesos ($5) from me, 200 from him, about 1,000 altogether between us - and that other family," said Jaime Mejia, 44, a Salvadoran pastor, squatting on a Tapachula sidewalk, nodding down the block at clutches of bedraggled men, women and children perched among bags and bundles. The toll paid to the police, he said, left the group without money to pay for lodging. Chiapas security officials and Mexico`s interior ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Mejia said he fled the town of La Libertad, El Salvador, after members of the country`s dominant gang, MS-13, told him to surrender his church to them to stash their weapons and drugs. Asked about the immigration talks between the Trump and Lopez Obrador governments that could decide their fate, Mejia and more than 20 other migrants who spoke with Reuters on Friday and Saturday shrugged, shook their heads and looked blankly. Friday`s deal averted a US-Mexico tariff war, with Mexico also agreeing to expand asylum programs. President Donald Trump had threatened to impose 5% import tariffs on all Mexican goods starting on Monday if Mexico did not commit to do more to tighten its borders. Tapachula, a first stop for many migrants on their journey north, was overflowing with migrants, from Central America, Cuba and elsewhere. After the shakedown by police, Mejia and his group headed to the city`s office of the Mexican refugee agency to apply for asylum in Mexico. Each one was given a number to reappear days later for an interview, Mejia said. But they found that the migration shelters -only three in town - were overflowing. With no money left, they had to bed down in the street. Olga Sanchez, head of the Jesus El Buen Pastor migrant shelter, said she had been caring for about 700 people since about November. Among those at the shelter were about 200 children.

It's business as usual at Mexico's southern border despite Trump deal

US&nbsp;President Donald Trump on Saturday predicted Mexico would strongly enforce a new deal under which it agreed to expand a controversial asylum program and boost security on its southern border to stem Central American migrants trying to reach the United States.

The deal, announced on Friday after three days of negotiations in Washington, averted Trump's threatened <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mexico-reaches-deal-with-us-on-migration-averting-tariff-war-trump-225346">imposition of 5 per cent import tariffs on all Mexican goods</a> starting on Monday.

"Mexico will try very hard, and if they do that, this will be a very successful agreement between the United States and Mexico," Trump wrote in a tweet on Saturday morning.

The Trump administration believed the deal would “fix the immigration issue,” US&nbsp;Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Saturday in a Reuters interview on the sidelines of a G20 finance meeting in Fukuoka, Japan.

Mnuchin, however, warned that Trump retained the authority to impose tariffs if Mexico failed to enforce the new agreement.

Trump also tweeted on Saturday that Mexico would immediately begin buying "large quantities" of agricultural goods from US&nbsp;farmers, who have been hit hard by his trade war with China and risked a new blow from Mexican retaliation if Trump had imposed tariffs.

Watch: Trump calls off tariffs on Mexico after deal on migration

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It was not immediately clear whether Mexico made such a pledge. There was no mention of expanded Mexican purchases of US&nbsp;agricultural products in the joint US-Mexican declaration outlining the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-says-immigration-deal-will-work-if-mexico-plays-its-part-225505">immigration deal</a>.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump, a Republican, has made stemming illegal immigration a signature issue of his presidency. He has been frustrated by a surge through Mexico of Central American migrants seeking asylum in the United States.

Under the new deal, Mexico agreed to the immediate expansion along the entire border of a program under which the United States returns asylum-seeking migrants to Mexico to await adjudication of their cases.

The program, commonly known as Remain in Mexico, has been operating since January in the border cities of Tijuana, Mexicali and Ciudad Juarez.

The American Civil Liberties Union and other rights groups are pursuing a legal challenge to the program, which has returned to Mexico more than 10,390 people, mostly Central Americans.

Mexico also agreed to take stronger measures including deploying militarized National Guard forces on its southern border beginning on Monday.

US&nbsp;border officers detained more than 132,000 people crossing from Mexico in May, the highest level since 2006. Trump threatened to keep raising import duties on Mexican goods up to 25 per cent unless Mexico acted to stem what he has called an "invasion."

US&nbsp;business groups and some of Trump's Republican allies warned that a trade fight with Mexico would hurt the US&nbsp;economy and lobbied the administration to back down.

The deal announced on Friday did not include a US&nbsp;demand that Mexico accept a "safe third country" designation that would have forced it to permanently take in most Central American asylum seekers.

US President Donald Trump on Saturday predicted Mexico would strongly enforce a new deal under which it agreed to expand a controversial asylum program and boost security on its southern border to stem Central American migrants trying to reach the United States.

US President Donald Trump on Saturday predicted Mexico would strongly enforce a new deal under which it agreed to expand a controversial asylum program and boost security on its southern border to stem Central American migrants trying to reach the United States. The deal, announced on Friday after three days of negotiations in Washington, averted Trump's threatened imposition of 5 per cent import tariffs on all Mexican goods starting on Monday. "Mexico will try very hard, and if they do that, this will be a very successful agreement between the United States and Mexico," Trump wrote in a tweet on Saturday morning. The Trump administration believed the deal would “fix the immigration issue,” US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Saturday in a Reuters interview on the sidelines of a G20 finance meeting in Fukuoka, Japan. Mnuchin, however, warned that Trump retained the authority to impose tariffs if Mexico failed to enforce the new agreement. Trump also tweeted on Saturday that Mexico would immediately begin buying "large quantities" of agricultural goods from US farmers, who have been hit hard by his trade war with China and risked a new blow from Mexican retaliation if Trump had imposed tariffs. Watch: Trump calls off tariffs on Mexico after deal on migration It was not immediately clear whether Mexico made such a pledge. There was no mention of expanded Mexican purchases of US agricultural products in the joint US-Mexican declaration outlining the immigration deal. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump, a Republican, has made stemming illegal immigration a signature issue of his presidency. He has been frustrated by a surge through Mexico of Central American migrants seeking asylum in the United States. Under the new deal, Mexico agreed to the immediate expansion along the entire border of a program under which the United States returns asylum-seeking migrants to Mexico to await adjudication of their cases. The program, commonly known as Remain in Mexico, has been operating since January in the border cities of Tijuana, Mexicali and Ciudad Juarez. The American Civil Liberties Union and other rights groups are pursuing a legal challenge to the program, which has returned to Mexico more than 10,390 people, mostly Central Americans. Mexico also agreed to take stronger measures including deploying militarized National Guard forces on its southern border beginning on Monday. US border officers detained more than 132,000 people crossing from Mexico in May, the highest level since 2006. Trump threatened to keep raising import duties on Mexican goods up to 25 per cent unless Mexico acted to stem what he has called an "invasion." US business groups and some of Trump's Republican allies warned that a trade fight with Mexico would hurt the US economy and lobbied the administration to back down. The deal announced on Friday did not include a US demand that Mexico accept a "safe third country" designation that would have forced it to permanently take in most Central American asylum seekers.

Trump says he is confident Mexico will 'try very hard' to enforce new immigration deal

Understanding US-Mexico immigration deal and what drives Central American families to migrate

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Saturday hit out at President Donald Trump over the immigration deal reached with Mexico in exchange for halting tariffs on the Central American country, saying "threats and tantrums are no way to negotiate foreign policy."

Pelosi, in a statement, accused Trump of taking actions that "undermined America`s preeminent leadership role in the world" and slammed him for repeatedly threatening tariffs on Mexico, which she described as US` " close friend and neighbour to the south," The Hill reported.

"The Trump Administration must also do much more to cooperate in a meaningful way with Mexico in cracking down on smuggling networks. [Its] failure to do so thus far is unconscionable and irresponsible. Threats and tantrums are no way to negotiate foreign policy," she said in the statement.In response, Trump fired back at Pelosi, calling her "nervous."

"Nervous Nancy Pelosi &amp; the Democrat House are getting nothing done. Perhaps they could lead the way with the USMCA, the spectacular &amp; very popular new Trade Deal that replaces NAFTA, the worst Trade Deal in the history of the U.S.A. Great for our Farmers, Manufacturers &amp; Unions!" he tweeted.

Asserting that everyone was "very excited" about the new deal, Trump thanked the Mexican leadership and American representatives for "working hard and long" to reach an agreement on immigration."

I would like to thank the President of Mexico, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, and his foreign minister, Marcelo Ebrard, together with all of the many representatives of both the United States and Mexico, for working so long and hard to get our agreement on immigration completed! Everyone very excited about the new deal with Mexico!" the US President said.

Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that Trump could go ahead and slap tariffs on Mexico if it did not comply with the immigration deal.

Trump had on Friday announced that his administration reached an agreement with Mexico over immigration, owing to which tariffs on the Central American country were "indefinitely suspended," after days of gruelling negotiations between the two sides.

The US President had threatened to impose a five per cent tariff on all Mexican goods from June 10, which would increase by another five per cent every month and ultimately reach 25 per cent by October.

According to the deal, Mexico has agreed to strengthen its security presence at the southern border to stop the flow of Central American migrants from entering the US and boost intelligence sharing with Washington.

Mexico has also said that it would take stringent action against human and drug trafficking rings.

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Saturday hit out at President Donald Trump over the immigration deal reached with Mexico in exchange for halting tariffs on the Central American country, saying "threats and tantrums are no way to negotiate foreign policy.

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Saturday hit out at President Donald Trump over the immigration deal reached with Mexico in exchange for halting tariffs on the Central American country, saying "threats and tantrums are no way to negotiate foreign policy." Pelosi, in a statement, accused Trump of taking actions that "undermined America`s preeminent leadership role in the world" and slammed him for repeatedly threatening tariffs on Mexico, which she described as US` " close friend and neighbour to the south," The Hill reported. "The Trump Administration must also do much more to cooperate in a meaningful way with Mexico in cracking down on smuggling networks. [Its] failure to do so thus far is unconscionable and irresponsible. Threats and tantrums are no way to negotiate foreign policy," she said in the statement.In response, Trump fired back at Pelosi, calling her "nervous." "Nervous Nancy Pelosi & the Democrat House are getting nothing done. Perhaps they could lead the way with the USMCA, the spectacular & very popular new Trade Deal that replaces NAFTA, the worst Trade Deal in the history of the U.S.A. Great for our Farmers, Manufacturers & Unions!" he tweeted. Asserting that everyone was "very excited" about the new deal, Trump thanked the Mexican leadership and American representatives for "working hard and long" to reach an agreement on immigration." I would like to thank the President of Mexico, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, and his foreign minister, Marcelo Ebrard, together with all of the many representatives of both the United States and Mexico, for working so long and hard to get our agreement on immigration completed! Everyone very excited about the new deal with Mexico!" the US President said. Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that Trump could go ahead and slap tariffs on Mexico if it did not comply with the immigration deal. Trump had on Friday announced that his administration reached an agreement with Mexico over immigration, owing to which tariffs on the Central American country were "indefinitely suspended," after days of gruelling negotiations between the two sides. The US President had threatened to impose a five per cent tariff on all Mexican goods from June 10, which would increase by another five per cent every month and ultimately reach 25 per cent by October. According to the deal, Mexico has agreed to strengthen its security presence at the southern border to stop the flow of Central American migrants from entering the US and boost intelligence sharing with Washington. Mexico has also said that it would take stringent action against human and drug trafficking rings.

Threat and tantrums no way to negotiate: Pelosi slams Trump over Mexico immigration deal

Mexico will take "unprecedented steps" to stem the flow of Central American migrants transiting the country to the United States, including by deploying National Guard troops, the countries said in a joint statement Friday.

The announcement came as the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mexico-reaches-deal-with-us-on-migration-averting-tariff-war-trump-225346">US and Mexico hammered out a deal on migration</a> to avoid punishing tariffs on all Mexican imports that US President Donald Trump had threatened to put into effect on Monday.

"Mexico will take unprecedented steps to increase enforcement to curb irregular migration, to include the deployment of its National Guard throughout Mexico, giving priority to its southern border," the statement said.

Mexico would also target human smuggling and trafficking groups, the statement said.

Watch: Donald Trump calls off tariffs as US and Mexico reach deal on immigration

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Meanwhile, measures on the US side will include sending migrants who had applied for asylum back to Mexico to wait while their claims were being processed.

&nbsp;

Mexico will take "unprecedented steps" to stem the flow of Central American migrants transiting the country to the United States, including by deploying National Guard troops, the countries said in a joint statement Friday.

Mexico will take "unprecedented steps" to stem the flow of Central American migrants transiting the country to the United States, including by deploying National Guard troops, the countries said in a joint statement Friday. The announcement came as the US and Mexico hammered out a deal on migration to avoid punishing tariffs on all Mexican imports that US President Donald Trump had threatened to put into effect on Monday. "Mexico will take unprecedented steps to increase enforcement to curb irregular migration, to include the deployment of its National Guard throughout Mexico, giving priority to its southern border," the statement said. Mexico would also target human smuggling and trafficking groups, the statement said. Watch: Donald Trump calls off tariffs as US and Mexico reach deal on immigration × Meanwhile, measures on the US side will include sending migrants who had applied for asylum back to Mexico to wait while their claims were being processed.

Mexico promises 'unprecedented steps' to curb migration in US deal: Joint statement

President Donald Trump said on Friday Mexico's government had reached a deal with the United States to avert a tariff war by pledging to take "strong measures" to contain the migration of mostly Central Americans crossing the southern US border.

Trump calls off tariffs on Mexico after deal on migration

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mexico-reaches-deal-with-us-on-migration-averting-tariff-war-trump-225346">Mexico reaches deal with US on migration, averts tariff war: Trump</a> 
 
'Mexico, in turn, has agreed to take strong measures to stem the tide of Migration through Mexico, and to our Southern Border. This is being done to greatly reduce, or eliminate, Illegal Immigration coming from Mexico and into the United States,'' Trump added.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/pm-modi-arrives-in-kochi-will-visit-guruvayur-temple-in-thrissur-225348">PM Modi to offer prayers at Guruvayur temple in Thrissur ahead of his visit to Maldives and Sri Lanka</a> 
 
The foreign engagements will be the first to be undertaken by him after coming back to power for a second term as Prime Minister.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/boeing-delayed-fix-of-defective-737-max-warning-light-for-three-years-us-lawmakers-225351">Boeing delayed fix of defective 737 MAX warning light for three years: US lawmakers</a> 
 
Those crashes, which killed 346 people, have triggered investigations by aviation regulators and US lawmakers and left Chicago-based Boeing facing one of the biggest crises in its more than 100-year history.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/west-bengal-fire-breaks-out-near-kolkatas-howrah-bridge-20-fire-tenders-at-spot-225353">West Bengal: Fire breaks out near Kolkata's Howrah Bridge, 20 fire tenders at spot</a> 
 
More details are awaited; no loss of life or any word on people injured has been reported yet.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/jammu-and-kashmir-encounter-underway-between-security-forces-terrorists-in-anantnag-225349">Jammu and Kashmir: Encounter underway between security forces, terrorists in Anantnag</a>

This comes a day after terrorists hurled a grenade at a police station in Sopore area of Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district on Friday.

Mexico reaches deal with US on migration, averts tariff war: Trump 'Mexico, in turn, has agreed to take strong measures to stem the tide of Migration through Mexico, and to our Southern Border.

Mexico reaches deal with US on migration, averts tariff war: Trump 'Mexico, in turn, has agreed to take strong measures to stem the tide of Migration through Mexico, and to our Southern Border. This is being done to greatly reduce, or eliminate, Illegal Immigration coming from Mexico and into the United States,'' Trump added. PM Modi to offer prayers at Guruvayur temple in Thrissur ahead of his visit to Maldives and Sri Lanka The foreign engagements will be the first to be undertaken by him after coming back to power for a second term as Prime Minister. Boeing delayed fix of defective 737 MAX warning light for three years: US lawmakers Those crashes, which killed 346 people, have triggered investigations by aviation regulators and US lawmakers and left Chicago-based Boeing facing one of the biggest crises in its more than 100-year history. West Bengal: Fire breaks out near Kolkata's Howrah Bridge, 20 fire tenders at spot More details are awaited; no loss of life or any word on people injured has been reported yet. Jammu and Kashmir: Encounter underway between security forces, terrorists in Anantnag This comes a day after terrorists hurled a grenade at a police station in Sopore area of Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district on Friday.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-mulling-over-declaring-new-emergency-for-imposing-tariffs-on-mexico-225116">US President Donald Trump</a> said on Friday Mexico`s government had reached a deal with the United States to avert a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-adviser-influential-senator-cast-doubt-on-mexico-tariffs-224742">tariff war </a>by pledging to take "strong measures" to contain migration of mostly Central Americans crossing the southern US border.

Trump had threatened to impose 5 per cent&nbsp;import tariffs on all Mexican goods from Monday if Mexico did not agree to his demands to tighten its borders, and his announcement of a deal came after three days of Mexico-US&nbsp;negotiations in Washington.

"The Tariffs scheduled to be implemented by the US on Monday, against Mexico, are hereby indefinitely suspended," Trump said on Twitter on Friday evening.

"Mexico, in turn, has agreed to take strong measures to stem the tide of Migration through Mexico, and to our Southern Border. This is being done to greatly reduce, or eliminate, Illegal Immigration coming from Mexico and into the United States," Trump added.

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I am pleased to inform you that The United States of America has reached a signed agreement with Mexico. The Tariffs scheduled to be implemented by the U.S. on Monday, against Mexico, are hereby indefinitely suspended. Mexico, in turn, has agreed to take strong measures to....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1137155056044826626?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 8, 2019</a></blockquote>
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....stem the tide of Migration through Mexico, and to our Southern Border. This is being done to greatly reduce, or eliminate, Illegal Immigration coming from Mexico and into the United States. Details of the agreement will be released shortly by the State Department. Thank you!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1137155057667989511?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 8, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Details of the agreement would be released shortly by the USState Department, Trump said.

US border officers apprehended more than 132,000 people crossing from Mexico in May, the highest monthly level since 2006, and Trump, who has railed against what he describes as an "invasion," had threatened to impose levies rising to 25 per cent&nbsp;unless Mexico addressed the problem.

Mexico made concessions during the talks, offering to send 6,000 troops to its southern border with Guatemala, but has also said it wants to see a long-term solution that would involve economic development aid.

US President Donald Trump said on Friday Mexico`s government had reached a deal with the United States to avert a tariff war by pledging to take "strong measures" to contain migration of mostly Central Americans crossing the southern US border.

US President Donald Trump said on Friday Mexico`s government had reached a deal with the United States to avert a tariff war by pledging to take "strong measures" to contain migration of mostly Central Americans crossing the southern US border. Trump had threatened to impose 5 per cent import tariffs on all Mexican goods from Monday if Mexico did not agree to his demands to tighten its borders, and his announcement of a deal came after three days of Mexico-US negotiations in Washington. "The Tariffs scheduled to be implemented by the US on Monday, against Mexico, are hereby indefinitely suspended," Trump said on Twitter on Friday evening. "Mexico, in turn, has agreed to take strong measures to stem the tide of Migration through Mexico, and to our Southern Border. This is being done to greatly reduce, or eliminate, Illegal Immigration coming from Mexico and into the United States," Trump added. I am pleased to inform you that The United States of America has reached a signed agreement with Mexico. The Tariffs scheduled to be implemented by the U.S. on Monday, against Mexico, are hereby indefinitely suspended. Mexico, in turn, has agreed to take strong measures to.... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 8, 2019 × ....stem the tide of Migration through Mexico, and to our Southern Border. This is being done to greatly reduce, or eliminate, Illegal Immigration coming from Mexico and into the United States. Details of the agreement will be released shortly by the State Department. Thank you! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 8, 2019 × Details of the agreement would be released shortly by the USState Department, Trump said. US border officers apprehended more than 132,000 people crossing from Mexico in May, the highest monthly level since 2006, and Trump, who has railed against what he describes as an "invasion," had threatened to impose levies rising to 25 per cent unless Mexico addressed the problem. Mexico made concessions during the talks, offering to send 6,000 troops to its southern border with Guatemala, but has also said it wants to see a long-term solution that would involve economic development aid.

Mexico reaches deal with US on migration, averts tariff war: Trump

WION Speed News: Watch top national and international news of the morning - June 07th, 2019

In talks with the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-mulling-over-declaring-new-emergency-for-imposing-tariffs-on-mexico-225116">United States</a>, Mexico has offered to send up to 6,000 members of its national guard to secure its southern border with Guatemala in order <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mexico-eyes-steps-to-cut-immigrant-flows-to-us-border-official-223382">to contain migrant flows</a>, according to two people with knowledge of the matter.

The news was first reported by the Washington Post.

Mexico has sent a delegation of officials to Washington to try to avert US President Donald Trump`s threats to impose import tariffs on Mexican goods if the country does not do more to halt the flow of migrants to the United States.

During the talks, the United States proposed deporting undocumented Guatemalan migrants to Mexico as part of a deal, but there has been no agreement on this point, according to a Mexican source familiar with the process.&nbsp;

In talks with the United States, Mexico has offered to send up to 6,000 members of its national guard to secure its southern border with Guatemala in order to contain migrant flows, according to two people with knowledge of the matter.

In talks with the United States, Mexico has offered to send up to 6,000 members of its national guard to secure its southern border with Guatemala in order to contain migrant flows, according to two people with knowledge of the matter. The news was first reported by the Washington Post. Mexico has sent a delegation of officials to Washington to try to avert US President Donald Trump`s threats to impose import tariffs on Mexican goods if the country does not do more to halt the flow of migrants to the United States. During the talks, the United States proposed deporting undocumented Guatemalan migrants to Mexico as part of a deal, but there has been no agreement on this point, according to a Mexican source familiar with the process.

Mexico offers to send national guard to Guatemala to stem migration: Sources

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