Mexico Says Pompeo Recognizes Progress on Migration Issues

(Bloomberg) -- Secretary of State Michael Pompeo acknowledged that Mexico has achieved “significant” progress in controlling the flow of migrants to the U.S., according to a statement Sunday by Mexico’s Foreign Affairs Ministry.

The advances mean there’s no need to start negotiations for a “safe third country” agreement that would require Mexico to process paperwork for asylum seekers to prevent them from applying in the U.S, Foreign Affairs Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said, according to the ministry’s statement. Mexico’s strategy to “guarantee organized, safe and regular flows” of migrants will continue during the next 45 days, the statement said.

Mexico is one of the U.S.’s “most important partners to increase prosperity and security for our countries and the region,” Pompeo said in a tweet following his meeting with Ebrard on Sunday during his visit to the neighboring country.

Mexico is implementing measures to stem the flow of migrants to the U.S. after President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on Mexican imports in May. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is deploying the National Guard and promoting development in Central American nations as part of an agreement with the U.S.

Pompeo’s four-day trip to Latin America focused largely on migration, an issue important both to the U.S. and the region. His trip hgas taken him to Argentina on Friday, where he met with President Mauricio Macri. He later went to Ecuador, where he said the U.S. will send $30 million in aid to help the country deal with the inflows of Venezuelan migrants.

Pompeo headed to El Salvador following his meeting in Mexico.

To contact the reporter on this story: Laura Millan Lombrana in Santiago at lmillan4@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Luzi Ann Javier at ljavier@bloomberg.net, Mark Niquette, Ian Fisher

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