Mexico increases control of its border with Guatemala to prevent entry of minors

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Mexico will reinforce its border with Guatemala to prevent the passage of migrant minors to the United States. This was announced by the country’s authorities on Friday, March 19th.

A measure that coincides with the increase of irregular arrivals after the immigration reforms implemented by the President of the United States, Joe Biden, who hopes to give the possibility of regularizing their situation in 8 years to the 11 million people living irregularly in the country.

Mexico’s National Migration Institute maintains that the aim is to protect migrant children who are “exploited by criminal networks”. The center claims that since January it has identified more than 4,000 Central American minors crossing the country on their way to the United States. The institute claims that human traffickers tell migrants to bring the children to facilitate their entry into Mexico and the United States.

According to social workers in the U.S. border city of Matamoros, the minors arrive at the border alone or accompanied by their parents. Once across, they are intercepted by the country’s social services who contact their families there.