Washington. Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard warned that if we do not invest in the generation of jobs in the short term in Central America, it will be difficult to stop migration.
At a press conference, after meeting with the Secretary of State of the United States, Antony Blinken, and with the Secretary of National Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, to address issues such as migration, the competitiveness of North America and the preparations for the next Summit of the Americas, Ebrard said that the Mexican proposal is to hold a regional conference in Central America to join efforts to create jobs and thus reduce the migratory flow.
“We proposed holding a conference in Central America to present the number of jobs we can create in the coming months, not so much the investment amounts, but how many jobs we can create, let’s say by unifying efforts. Because otherwise we do not see that it is possible to achieve a significant reduction in migratory flows; if there is not that, we see it very difficult”, he said at the press conference held at the Mexican embassy in Washington.
“Let’s make a significant investment in Central America, it’s something we’ve been saying for four years and it hasn’t been done (…) It’s feasible,” he added.
Although the proposals of Secretary Mayorkas’ team have not been detailed, Ebrard said that they will be analyzed by Mexico once they are shared, but that there are coincidences in making a regional effort.
In the prelude to the possible end of Title 42, which allows the expulsion of migrants who request asylum in the US for reasons of the Covid-19 pandemic, the foreign minister assured that Mexico is not going to become a country through which anyone can pass.
“Our country does not have free transit for anyone (…) You can ask for refuge, you can ask for asylum, you can be a temporary worker, there are many ways, what we are not going to allow is that it be assumed with or without the problem of Title 42 , or whatever the United States determines, that Mexico becomes a country where anyone passes by and we don’t have their identity,” he declared.
Prior to the closed-door meeting with Ebrard, Antony Blinken stressed that there is close collaboration between the two countries to face what is “an unprecedented migratory challenge.”
“We come together to build greater economic competitiveness in North America by, among other things, creating more resilient supply chains and addressing other issues that will enhance the livelihoods of both Mexicans and Americans,” he said.
Regarding the Summit of the Americas, Foreign Minister Ebrard reiterated Mexico’s position of inviting all countries, however, Blinken shared his different points of view and highlighted what is happening globally.
Turn discussion into energy
Questioned about the fear for the energy reform, Ebrard expressed “that the discussion has already changed” and now “what we have are specific business issues.”
“Their proposal is that we go to a large-scale clean energy scheme, we are going to see what it consists of because we still do not have it in detail,” concluded the Secretary of Foreign Affairs.