Mexico president urges change after rescue of 32 kidnapped migrants

(Adds background on U.S.-bound migration) MEXICO CITY, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Friday he has asked U.S. authorities to grant visas to at least 10 million Hispanic migrants that have worked for more than 10 years in the country, amid the rescue of 32 kidnapped migrants.

(Adds background on U.S.-bound migration) MEXICO CITY, Jan 5 (Reuters) -

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Friday he has asked U.S. authorities to grant visas to at least 10 million Hispanic migrants that have worked for more than 10 years in the country, amid the rescue of 32 kidnapped migrants. Lopez Obrador also said he urged U.S. authorities to deploy $20 billion for a cooperation plan to help other countries in Latin America tame migration. The requests were made during the last bilateral meeting in Mexico City.

The migrants were kidnapped from a bus over the weekend

by armed men aiming to extort money from them and their families in the United States. Some family members did pay the kidnappers, Mexican officials said Friday, before the group was rescued earlier this week in the northern city of Reynosa in the state of Tamaulipas.

The incident is under investigation to find and prosecute the kidnappers, officials said Friday. Asylum seekers and human rights activists have been warning of an escalating kidnapping crisis in the Tamaulipas border region, especially in Reynosa.

A record number of migrants traveled across Central America and Mexico in 2023 to reach the United States, fleeing poverty, violence, climate change and conflict. They often encounter difficulties and violence on the journey. Lopez Obrador also said he asked U.S. authorities to end all sanctions on Cuba and Venezuela during bilateral meetings.