Mexico says U.S. agrees to more work visas for Mexicans, Central Americans

"The number of work visas to enter the United States will be considerably expanded," the president said on Thursday.

The United States agreed to "considerably" increase the number of work visas for Mexicans and Central Americans during high-level talks in Washington this week, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Thursday.

Speaking at a regular news conference after meeting President Biden on Tuesday, Lopez Obrador appeared to confirm last month's reports that the U.S was gearing up to announce 300,000 work visas to the region, with half reserved for Mexico . "The number of work visas to enter the United States will be considerably expanded," the president said on Thursday. The United States "doesn’t have a work force," he said.

The visa plan was announced shortly ahead of the deaths of 53 migrants in a Texas trailer last month, the deadliest such trafficking incident on record in the United States. Lopez Obrador also clarified in the press conference that planned investments by U.S. companies in Mexico worth around $40 billion between now and 2024 were largely in the energy sector.

Billions of dollars in foreign investment in Mexico have been held up by disputes between companies and the government as Lopez Obrador tightens state control of the energy market .