Mexican authorities are just coming to grips with the ramifications of the extremely tough border security measures that have just passed the U.S. Senate. According to this El Universal column by former Mexican diplomat Enrique Berruga Filloy, the impact on Mexico will be severe, both in terms of jobless Mexicans and the way it deals with migrants from Central America who used to head to the United States, but will now be stranded on Mexican territory.
For Mexico’s El Universal, Enrique Berruga Filloy writes in part:
What will be the impact of this law be on Mexico? The most obvious is that the border will become more dangerous – almost impenetrable. There will be more deaths and more arrests. Coyotes [smugglers] will take more dangerous routs to get people in. The sealing of the border will be a major challenge for Mexico’s government and border cities, as the region becomes a genuine human cork. Mexican and Central American migrants who reach the border will be stranded there, putting pressure on employment and services in the area.
This sealing of the border will put an end to an era. Mexicans who cannot find employment in Mexico will be unable to easily reach the United States. The amount of remittances will necessarily diminish (as they already have) and Mexico will have to accelerate the creation of jobs like never before. Mexican authorities will have to make decisions about the fate of migrants who transit through our country from Central America, and will have to exercise more control over the border with Guatemala, which is part of what the United States is trying to achieve with its new immigration law.
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