The Mexican government said Thursday it would seek help from the United Nations refugee agency in coordinating efforts with other Central American governments to manage immigrants arriving to Mexico’s southern border seeking refugee status.
The measure “seeks to guarantee the security and integrity of migrants, particularly minors, the elderly and women, and to avoid people being deceived by international criminal organizations dedicated to human trafficking, who put their lives in danger,” the Mexico’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
{mosads}“Finally, the government of Mexico reiterates its commitments with the international community’s efforts in favor of safe, orderly and regular migration; and with the human rights of migrants. At the same time, it expresses its conviction that dialogue and international cooperation among countries of origin, transit and destination of migrants are indispensable to confront the challenges that the migratory phenomenon implies,” it added.
The statement follows President Trump’s Twitter warning earlier Thursday in which he said he could take military action to close the southern border if Mexico does not take action to stop the “onslaught,” referring to a caravan of over 4,000 migrants making their way north from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.
“I am watching the Democrat Party led (because they want Open Borders and existing weak laws) assault on our country by Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, whose leaders are doing little to stop this large flow of people, INCLUDING MANY CRIMINALS, from entering Mexico to U.S.,” he said in an initial tweet.
“In addition to stopping all payments to these countries, which seem to have almost no control over their population, I must, in the strongest of terms, ask Mexico to stop this onslaught — and if unable to do so I will call up the U.S. Military and CLOSE OUR SOUTHERN BORDER!” he said in a follow-up post.
“The assault on our country at our Southern Border, including the Criminal elements and DRUGS pouring in, is far more important to me, as President, than Trade or the USMCA,” he added, referring to the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement on trade. “Hopefully Mexico will stop this onslaught at their Northern Border. All Democrats fault for weak laws!”
Trump said in April that he wanted to deploy U.S. troops to guard the U.S.–Mexico border until his proposed wall was built.
Defense Secretary James Mattis later authorized the National Guard to deploy up to 4,000 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border.
The president has faced criticism over his immigration policies, particularly over his administration’s controversial “zero tolerance policy,” which resulted in the separations of thousands of migrant children from their parents at the border.