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Updated February 19, 2020
Mexico’s Immigration Control Efforts
Background
improved infrastructure at border crossings and created
Since 2014, Mexico, along with the United States, has
mobile highway checkpoints. INM also sought to
experienced a surge in unauthorized migration from the
professionalize its workforce and improve coordination
“Northern Triangle” of Central America (El Salvador,
with Mexican federal police, military forces, and customs.
Guatemala, and Honduras). Mexico, like the United States,
has struggled to deal with large numbers of families and
The State Department’s 2019 Trafficking in Persons report
unaccompanied minors, many of whom are seeking asylum.
documents how migrants in Mexico are vulnerable to
To avoid tariffs threatened by the Trump Administration,
human rights abuses and human trafficking. Human rights
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador agreed
groups argued that the Southern Border Plan pushed
in June 2019 to increase immigration enforcement and
migrants to take more dangerous routes, which increased
allow more migrants to await their U.S. immigration
their reliance on smugglers. These groups criticized the
proceedings in Mexico.
Mexican government for not adequately addressing
corruption among police and migration officials or
Figure 1. Mexico: Reported Apprehensions of
prosecuting crimes against migrants. By 2018, increasing
Migrants from Northern Triangle Countries and
numbers of migrants began to travel in large groups (so-
Asylum Applications
called caravans) to share resources and gain protection.
President López Obrador took office in December 2018,
endorsing a humanitarian approach to migration and
pledging to promote development in Central America as a
solution to unauthorized migration. Nevertheless, López
Obrador did not increase funding for Mexico’s backlogged
Commission for the Aid of Refugees (COMAR). His
government’s austerity policies also could prevent him
from fulfilling his pledge to invest $100 million in the
Northern Triangle.
Since April 2019, López Obrador has taken a harder line
toward migration, as he has faced pressure from the United
States to reduce migrant flows and Mexico’s detention
Source: CRS based on information from Mexico’s Secretary of the
Interior.
facilities have grown overcrowded. His government has
increased migrant apprehensions (see Figure 2) and
During a September 2019 meeting with Mexican Foreign
restricted access to humanitarian visas, particularly for
Minister Marcelo Ebrard, Vice President Mike Pence
those traveling in caravans. Mexico has deployed its new
recognized Mexico’s efforts but said more work was
National Guard to help with immigration enforcement.
needed to reduce unauthorized migration. The next day, the
Apprehensions of migrants from Northern Triangle
U.S. Supreme Court allowed the Trump Administration to
countries totaled roughly 154,400 in 2019, up from 138,600
implement a rule, pending a legal challenge, that bars those
in 2018 but below the 177,950 apprehended in 2015.
who have reached the southern border after passing through
another country without seeking asylum there from
Figure 2. Mexico: Recent Trends in Reported
requesting asylum in the United States. Because of that
Apprehensions of Central American Migrants
ruling and other changes in U.S. processing of migrants on
the southwest border, Mexico is receiving record asylum
requests (see Figure 1). (For more information, see CRS In
Focus IF11363, Processing Aliens at the U.S.-Mexico
Border: Recent Policy Changes).
Immigration Control
In 2014, with support from the United States, Mexico
implemented a Southern Border Plan that established naval
bases on its rivers, security cordons north of its borders
with Guatemala and Belize, and a drone surveillance
Source: CRS based on data from Mexico’s Secretary of the Interior.
program. Unarmed agents from the National Migration
Institute (INM) increased operations along train routes and
at bus stations, which led to more apprehensions. INM
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link to page 1 Mexico’s Immigration Control Efforts
Humanitarian Protection
Related to DHS’s Plan to Require Arriving Asylum Seekers
Mexico has a broader definition of refugee than the United
to Wait in Mexico.)
States and the 1951 U.N. Refugee Convention; it recognizes
a right to asylum based on “generalized violence; foreign
June 2019 Migration Agreement
aggression; internal conflicts; massive violations of human
In May 2019, President Trump threatened to impose tariffs
rights; and other circumstances leading to a serious
on U.S. imports of Mexican motor vehicles if the Mexican
disturbance of public order.” As a result, many of the
government did not increase its efforts to stop U.S.-bound
migrants arriving in Mexico from the Northern Triangle
migrants. On June 7, 2019, the governments reached a
could qualify as refugees. Asylum requests have doubled in
migration agreement to avert the tariffs. According to the
Mexico each year since 2015, reaching 70,300 in 2019,
June U.S.-Mexico joint declaration, Mexico agreed to
according to COMAR officials (see Figure 1). The top
deploy its National Guard to its borders, dismantle human
countries of origin for asylum seekers in Mexico in 2019
smuggling networks, and accept the expansion of the MPP
were Honduras, El Salvador, Cuba, and Venezuela.
across the entire border. Mexico also agreed to provide
access to “jobs, healthcare, and education” to those in the
Even with support from the U.N. High Commissioner for
MPP. The United States pledged to speed up adjudication
Refugees (UNHCR), experts say COMAR does not have
of asylum claims and prioritize the court proceedings of
sufficient budget or staff to process pending and new
migrants in the MPP program. Both countries reiterated
asylum claims. In 2019, COMAR granted refugee status to
their 2018 joint announcement in support of economic
1,863 people from Northern Triangle countries.
development in Mexico and the Northern Triangle.
U.S. Foreign Assistance
U.S. apprehensions of migrants on the southwest border fell
Since FY2014, the State Department has allocated over
by 62% from May 2019 to August 2019. Although some of
$200 million in Mérida Initiative funding to support
that decline may be due to seasonal trends, Vice President
Mexico’s immigration control and border/port security
Pence acknowledged in September that “Mexico’s
efforts. U.S. funds have provided nonintrusive inspection
unprecedented steps” had helped to reduce U.S.-bound
equipment, mobile kiosks, canine teams, and vehicles, as
unauthorized migration.
well as training in immigration enforcement. U.S.
assistance helped Mexican agencies build a secure
The June agreement also has coincided with increasing
communications network in the southern border area. It is
incidents of violence against migrants in both southern and
also helping Mexico collect biometric information that
northern Mexico. As of January 2020, nongovernmental
interfaces with U.S. databases. (See also CRS In Focus
organization Human Rights First had documented 816
IF10578, Mexico: Evolution of the Mérida Initiative, 2007-
publicly reported cases of migrants returned to Mexico
2020.)
under the MPP who had been murdered, raped, kidnapped,
tortured, and/or assaulted. With wider implementation of
The State Department provided $7 million in FY2018 and
the MPP, and U.S. officials limiting the number of migrants
$51 million in FY2019 through the Migration and Refugee
accepted daily for screening through a process referred to as
Assistance (MRA) account to UNHCR to improve access to
metering, Mexican border cities—some of which have high
asylum in Mexico, provide legal assistance and alternatives
rates of violent crime—are now sheltering tens of thousands
to detention for asylum seekers, and increase COMAR’s
of migrants with little support. Mexico opened its first
asylum processing capacity. In FY2019, the International
federally funded shelter in Ciudad Juárez in July 2019; the
Organization for Migration received $24 million in MRA
second opened in Tijuana in December.
funds to improve shelters, provide transitional assistance to
migrants, and transport migrants who voluntarily agree to
Congressional Action
be sent back to their home countries.
The 116th Congress has continued to fund and oversee U.S.
assistance to Mexico through the Mérida Initiative and
U.S. Migrant Protection Protocols
MRA funds. In December 2019, Congress enacted P.L.
In December 2018, President López Obrador decided to
116-94, which provided $157.9 million in total assistance to
allow the United States to return Central American migrants
Mexico without specific allocations for support for
to Mexico under the U.S. Migrant Protection Protocols
Mexico’s immigration control or humanitarian protection
(MPP). MPP allows the U.S. Department of Homeland
efforts. The Trump Administration’s FY2021 budget
Security (DHS) to require many non-Mexican migrants
request asks for $63.8 million for Mexico but does not
who arrive at the southern border to wait in Mexico while
specify that the funds be used to address migration-related
U.S. immigration courts process their cases. MPP does not
issues. Legislation has been introduced to prohibit funding
apply to some categories of aliens, including Mexican
for the MPP (H.R. 2662) and to amend Section 235 of the
nationals, unaccompanied minors, and those who can
Immigration and Nationality Act to remove authorization to
demonstrate that it is more likely than not that they would
implement the MPP (H.R. 5207). A Senate resolution has
face persecution or torture in Mexico. The policy is facing
been introduced (S.Res. 484) that would call on Congress to
legal challenges in the United States, but court orders
defund the MPP. Congress has held hearings on or related
currently allow DHS to continue implementation. As of
to MPP and conducted oversight trips to northern Mexico.
January 2020, some 59,000 migrants had been returned to
Mexico under the MPP. (See also CRS Legal Sidebar
Clare Ribando Seelke, Specialist in Latin American
LSB10251, “Migrant Protection Protocols”: Legal Issues
Affairs
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Mexico’s Immigration Control Efforts
IF10215
Disclaimer
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https://crsreports.congress.gov | IF10215 · VERSION 24 · UPDATED