© Reuters.The flight information screen shows arriving and delayed flights, including flights from London, because the Mexican government scans to suspend flights from the United Kingdom because of concerns about the emergence of a new highly contagious strain of coronavirus in the coronavirus
Authors: Alexandra Ulmer, Dave Graham (New York Stock Exchange ? and Matt Spetalnick)
San Francisco/Mexico City (Reuters)-According to three people familiar with the matter, Mexico plans to tighten entry requirements for Venezuelans, partly in response to US requests, after the number of Venezuelans fleeing the country due to border arrests has increased sharply. matter.
Currently, Venezuelans do not need visas to enter Mexico as tourists. But a Mexican official familiar with internal government discussions said that as the number of Venezuelan immigrants arrested at the US-Mexico border has soared, Mexico is considering allowing their entry to meet certain criteria.
The official said that the new entry rules may be implemented soon.
Another source in the Mexican government said that Mexico is studying its options and holding talks with Venezuela to explore alternatives to the implementation of visas.
A third person familiar with the negotiations between Mexico and the United States said that Washington urged Mexico to impose visa restrictions on Venezuelans and pointed out that the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) complained about the increase in Venezuelans.
The option being explored is to ensure that Venezuelans show that they are financially solvent and have a job, and that they have a round-trip ticket on arrival to ensure that they do not use Mexico to enter the United States, the first source said.
A spokesperson for the US State Department said that when Reuters asked whether the Biden administration was applying pressure on Mexico to tighten entry conditions for Venezuelans, Washington was cooperating with Mexico to address the root causes of irregular immigration through a “regional cooperation approach.”
The spokesperson said: “The United States appreciates Mexico’s efforts to provide safe, orderly, and humane procedures for immigrants in and out of its borders.”
The White House, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and CBP did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Neither the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs nor the Venezuelan Ministry of Information responded to requests for comment.
According to government data, the number of meetings held by Venezuelans at the U.S.-Mexico border in the year ended September increased to 47,762 from 1,262 in the previous 12 months.
The general concerns of immigrants at the U.S.-Mexico border https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-under-pressure-us-mexico-border-arrests-reach-record-highs-2021-10-20 has set a record this year . This put pressure on U.S. President Joe Biden before the congressional elections in November next year, and many voters in border towns in Texas feel uneasy https://www.reuters.com/world/us/migrants-school-buses -texas-town-feels- in trouble In the middle of 2021-09-21, Republicans accused his government of pursuing an “open border” policy.
A Mexican source said that Washington had pressured Mexico to slow entry from Venezuela, but Mexico also wanted to ensure that people would not enter under false pretexts.
A fourth source within the U.S. government stated that since Venezuela’s arrivals surged last summer, efforts to pressure Mexico to tighten entry conditions for Venezuela, an OPEC member state, have intensified. Diplomats and the Department of Homeland Security have unofficially proposed Request for cooperation. According to sources, Washington does not rely much on Mexico.
Stricter immigration rules may severely affect the immigration plans of many Venezuelans who pay for smuggling networks https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/fleeing-hardship-home-bias-abroad-venezuelans-flock-us- 2021-07-14 To help them escape the economic destruction led by President Nicolas Maduro, Maduro presided over a severe financial crisis during the severe US sanctions. Many Venezuelans left with very little money.
Venezuelans arriving from other parts of Latin America (such as Colombia or Chile) usually work there for a few years to save hard currency before heading to the north, so they may be less likely to be subject to solvency-centric requirements.
Human rights activists on Friday condemned a potential decision to restrict entry to Venezuela.
“Venezuelan migrants and refugees are fleeing a complex humanitarian emergency, lack of justice, lack of freedom and violence,” said David Smolansky, the leader of the Venezuelan opposition in exile, who is responsible for coordinating the UN response. U.S. states are responding to the Venezuelan immigration crisis. “In the face of this situation, protecting them is of the utmost importance.
Reuters reported in October that the Biden administration wants Mexico to impose visa requirements on Brazilians https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/brazilians-flock-us-border-an-alleged-smuggler-cashes -2021- 10- 12 complicates their path to the US border. In September, after a surge in the number of Ecuadorian nationals trying to cross the US border, Mexico suspended visa exemptions for Ecuadorians for six months.
The U.S. government source said that Biden’s aides may propose to the delegation of Mexican President Andres Manuel López Obrador when he visits Washington next week for the U.S.-Mexico-Canada summit. Venezuelan immigration issues.