Mexico's foreign minister sees rising migration to U.S. as Biden takes office

Ebrard pointed to the development plan outlined by the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, saying "hopefully the United States will take up this approach once again because it is the real solution." Outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump made curbing immigration a pillar of his 2016 campaign, and during his four years in office he has imposed a web of restrictions that presently makes it but impossible for migrants to seek asylum at the U.S. border with Mexico.

Mexico's Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard on Tuesday said he expects migration to the United States to increase, while Mexico would try to convince Joe Biden's incoming administration to tweak Washington's approach to immigration.

President-elect Biden has vowed to pursue a "humane" migration policy and promised a $4-billion plan to address underlying factors driving migration from Central America. But the destruction across Central America caused by back-to-back hurricanes in November, which killed hundreds and displaced over half a million people across the region, may pose an early challenge for Biden's strategy, which advocates say could take years to have an impact.

Ebrard said Mexico's government will attempt to persuade Biden's incoming government to not only invest in Central America, but to favor investments with a short term impact on the causes of migration. "We're going to try to convince the United States that a different focus is required," Ebrard said in response to journalists' questions at an event in Mexico City.

"If you make long-term investments with credit, with large investments in infrastructure, they do not necessarily have the desired impact," said Ebrard. Ebrard pointed to the development plan outlined by the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, saying "hopefully the United States will take up this approach once again because it is the real solution."

Outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump made curbing immigration a pillar of his 2016 campaign, and during his four years in office he has imposed a web of restrictions that presently makes it but impossible for migrants to seek asylum at the U.S. border with Mexico.