SEATTLE — On July 22, 2016, President Obama met with President Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico to discuss United States-Mexico relations. A central topic of discussion covered during this meeting was the issue of the recent influx of refugees illegally entering the U.S. However, this discussion did not only impact Mexico, but concerns the U.S. as well — there has been a substantial increase of Mexican refugees in recent years.
Here are 10 facts about Mexican refugees:
- Those crossing the U.S.-Mexico border are primarily from Central America. Central Americans have recently been seeking asylum within the borders of Mexico and then, making the journey through Mexico to reach the U.S. For some refugees, Mexico is the destination, but for others Mexico is a means to an end. Mexico has become a safe haven for Central Americans and others.
- Mexico has opened its borders to Syrian refugees. Last year, Mexico’s full Senate unanimously approved a motion to welcome Syrian refugees seeking asylum in Mexico.
- Approximately 400,000 undocumented Central American immigrants are crossing the border into southern Mexico each year. The number of Mexicans entering the U.S. illegally has declined since the violence that accompanied the drug war has dispersed and the economy improved. In fact, there are more Mexicans leaving the U.S. for Mexico than there are Mexicans entering the U.S. Now that Mexico has instituted a U.S.-fashioned court system and the police have regained control, Mexico has remained relatively temperate. Yet, refugees continue to flood the U.S.-Mexico border.
- Many of those crossing the border into Mexico are not economic migrants but refugees. These individuals are refugees fleeing the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, three countries deemed some of the most violent countries in the world. El Salvador, the most dangerous of the three countries, endured a 70 percent increase in homicides from 2014 to 2015. Families living in the Northern Triangle countries are often exploited by gangs and corrupt officials.
- There has been a large increase of deportations in both Mexico and the U.S. In 2015, Mexico deported as many as 166,000 refugees and the U.S. deported another 75,000. Despite these recent attempts to slow the flow of refugees coming from Mexico into the U.S., the influx of immigrants has not ceased. However, the U.S. has realized that deporting the refugees has fueled a humanitarian crisis.
- Mexico initiated the Central American Minors Program to help refugees legally and safely enter the U.S. Refugees are desperate to escape their homes and are willing to pay “coyotes” to smuggle family members across Mexico. In hopes of preventing individuals from attempting such a treacherous trip across Mexico, the Central American Minors programs was created so that parents from Northern Triangle countries who are legally in the U.S. could request the admittance of their at-risk children (under 21 years) to come to the U.S. legally.
- In hopes to avoid detection, refugees in Mexico must pay a crossing fee and take risks. Even though the number of approved asylum requests has increased, there are still many cases in which requests are denied or drawn out. Many refugees who are desperate to promptly leave their home country pay smugglers to direct them safely to their destination. As a result of recent deportations, refugees are having to pay more money and paths that are riskier and more isolated.
- Mexico’s asylum-granting system is being expanded. Because the process to retrieve family members through the Central American Minors program takes about eight months, individuals tend to take matters into their own hands and take the risk of making the journey through Mexico. In hopes of avoiding this outcome, during his meeting with the president of Mexico, President Obama decided to improve the Central Minors program by allowing families to retrieve all at-risk family members, including those over the age of 21. Also, the two presidents agreed to increase the volume for processing asylum requests in Mexico in hopes to improve refugees access to asylums in Mexico.
- This year the U.S budgeted $750 million for programs to help stabilize neighborhoods and improve systems of government in countries where corruption is rampant. While it may not seem like an issue for the U.S., the violence in other countries is contributing to the dramatic increase in refugees desperately seeking asylum. With the support and assistance from surrounding countries, the safety and security of at-risk refugees can be managed.
- Costa Rica will offer temporary protection for Central American refugees at a time before arriving at their country of destination. President Obama reported that Costa Rica will be offering protection for 200 eligible refugees at a time while in transit to their final destination. Due to the recent upsurge in violence in the Northern Triangle countries, there has been a dramatic increase in demand for asylums – as many as 110,000 refugees were seeking asylums in 2015. President Obama is also reaching out to the United Nations to recruit more support and relief for Mexico refugees.
The United States and Mexico are banding together to provide protection for refugees in Mexico that are fleeing the most violent and dangerous countries in the world. The Obama Administration has developed a mission to rescue refugees who are urgently in need of protection.
In order to carry out the mission, the administration recognizes that the process of identifying, screening and transferring refugees needs to be expedited and expanded. Doing so will prevent individuals from fleeing on their own and potentially putting themselves in more danger.
– Kayla Mehl
Photo: Flickr