Videgaray, who leaves office this weekend, said the incoming Mexican government was also not planning to accept US demands that it give asylum to the thousands of migrants who have arrived on the US-Mexican border in caravans in recent weeks, Reuters reported.
Accepting US requests “would declare Mexico a final destination for migrants, invalidating any asylum process in the United States. We have rejected this,” he told Mexican network Televisa.
READ MORE: Mexico Will Not Use Military Force to Deal With Influx of Migrants
“They are in Mexico, waiting to file for [US] asylum. Being in Mexico does not mean they lose their ability, their right to request asylum,” he added.
US President Donald Trump has threatened to “permanently” close the US’ southern border if Mexico does not deport 7,000 Central Americans from the border city of Tijuana.
Under current rules, migrants are either detained in the United States or released there to await a final ruling on their application, which on average takes close to two years. The process had been criticized by Trump, who described it as “catch and release.”
Earlier this week, the Mexican Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the country has no intention of deploying troops to curb the influx of migrants, as there were no casualties during the attempts of the caravan members to illegally cross the border. However, the ministry agreed to reinforce the border crossings migrants breached on Sunday.
