Blinken, Mayorkas talk to Mexican officials about managing migration

High-ranking U.S. and Mexican officials met Tuesday to discuss efforts to manage migration and advance bilateral cooperation toward the Summit of the Americas.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas met with Mexico's Foreign Affairs Minister Marcelo Ebrard and other senior officials to address migration challenges.

Mayorkas presented the Biden administration's plan to prepare for the end of the Title 42 public health policy.

The Department of Homeland Security forecasts a spike in irregular migration after the public health order is lifted. The policy is set to end May 23, but legal challenges and pushback from some Democrats in Congress have sparked bipartisan debate as midterm elections approach.

Mayorkas "emphasized the need for countries throughout the region to manage their respective borders," a Homeland Security news release said.

The officials were joined by Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Chris Magnus, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar and Mexican Ambassador to the United States Esteban Moctezuma.

The meeting followed an April 29 call between U.S. President Joe Biden and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. The leaders discussed shared goals on economic, climate, energy and migration issues. With an eye on investment for economic development, they "reiterated the need to build stronger tools for managing regional migration surges," a White House statement said.

Mayorkas and Ebrard discussed bilateral work to disrupt smuggling networks and prevent migrants from making the journey to the U.S. border.

They discussed the potential of economic development and foreign investment in Central America "to drive an enduring solution to the decades-long challenge of migration throughout the hemisphere," the news release said.

There was no mention of forced displacement, political unrest, violence and insecurity issues pushing mass migration in the region.

Starting Thursday, López Obrador will tour Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Cuba. He will be joined by Ebrard, Mexican Secretary of National Defense Luis Cresencio Sandoval and the head of Mexico's navy, José Rafael Ojeda.

Mexico has deployed roughly 27,000 troops to its southern border, something that has created human rights violations concerns for humanitarian and immigration groups. Mexican immigration officers and National Guard elements, armed with riot gear, have “dissolved” about four large migrant groups at the country’s southern border this year, blocking their way north to the U.S. border.

The U.S. also has been advancing strategic meetings in Central America and the Caribbean as part of an expanding migration management strategy, ahead of the June Summit of the Americas.

Bilateral conversations and agreements are part of the "ongoing effort to work across the region to address irregular migration,” Mayorkas said April 19 during a visit to Panama and the Darién Gap.

“Every country must do its part."

Have news tips or story ideas about the Arizona-Sonora borderlands? Reach the reporter at cmigoya@arizonarepublic.com or send a direct message in Twitter to @ClaraMigoya.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Blinken, Mayorkas talk to Mexican officials about managing migration