Arturo Sanchez Jimenez
The newspaper La Jornada
Sunday, September 8, 2024, p. 8
The Mexican government has received complaints from more than 80 countries alleging mistreatment of its citizens by immigration authorities.
From 2019 to 2023, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) received complaints from representations that reported that their travelers and migrants remain incommunicado for hours and are not allowed to contact their consulate when they are rejected at immigration controls, according to data from the book Mexican model of human mobilitypresented this week by the Foreign Ministry.
The document indicates that in recent years, cases of foreigners rejected by Mexican authorities when trying to enter the country have multiplied, going from 30,674 in 2019 to 72,483 in 2021 and 98,338 in 2022. In 2023, they were reduced to 76,725.
According to the SRE, the National Institute of Migration (INM) determines the admissibility of a foreign person by verifying records of immigration alerts and compliance with requirements.
In response to the complaints received, the Foreign Ministry assures that maintains a permanent dialogue with the representations in Mexico and the governments of the countries with the highest rates of airport rejection, always under the principles of addressing all differences through dialogue and guaranteeing respect for human rights in migration management.
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The SRE indicates that it is working with immigration authorities, airport groups and airlines to ensure that travelers subject to a second review or denial of admission to Mexico are informed that during the process they can contact their consular representatives or whoever is waiting for them at the airport.
While it is up to countries to determine the admissibility of travelers to their territory, Mexico addresses complaints and seeks to improve processes to avoid errors and setbacks for travelers.
Between January 2020 and July 2024, Mexico carried out 845 return flights for foreigners in an irregular situation, returning 98,723 individuals to their countries, most of them Central Americans.
Of these, 337 flights were chartered to return 42,690 people to Honduras; 195 to return 25,617 to Guatemala, and 92 to transport 10,638 Salvadorans to their country. The rest of the trips were to Haiti, Cuba, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Peru.
Additionally, from December 22, 2023 to August 22, Mexico carried out 676 return flights for 7,205 foreigners, which were agreed with the destination countries: 35 to Guatemala, 27 to Honduras, four to Venezuela and one to Colombia. Added to this are 313 land returns by bus to Guatemala and Honduras.
Foreign persons who are irregularly in Mexican territory and who do not request or are not eligible to be recognized as refugees or subjects of any other type of international protection, may be voluntarily returned to their countries, for which Mexico and the countries of nationality of said persons enter into agreements and negotiate the form of sending and receiving… These actions are part of a humanitarian management that ensures orderly, regular and safe mobility.
the SRE states in the document.
