Gordon Hyde
Under pressure from US President Donald Trump, Mexico promised earlier this month to strengthen its southern border with 6,000 national guards to slow down the wave of migrants crossing the border from Central America. The operation’s scale, however, has not been revealed until now.
"In total, the National Guard and army units comprise 14 thousand people, almost 15 thousand people in the north of the country," Defense Minister Luis Sandoval said at a press conference with President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
When asked if these forces are detaining migrants to prevent them from crossing, Sandoval replied: "Yes."
"Given that (illegal) migration is not a crime, but rather an administrative violation, we simply detain them and transfer them to the authorities," he said, speaking at the National Institute for Migration, AFP reports.
Earlier, Trump praised Mexico for tightening immigration controls: Mexican authorities stop people before they approach the southern US border.
source: afp.com
"In total, the National Guard and army units comprise 14 thousand people, almost 15 thousand people in the north of the country," Defense Minister Luis Sandoval said at a press conference with President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
When asked if these forces are detaining migrants to prevent them from crossing, Sandoval replied: "Yes."
"Given that (illegal) migration is not a crime, but rather an administrative violation, we simply detain them and transfer them to the authorities," he said, speaking at the National Institute for Migration, AFP reports.
Earlier, Trump praised Mexico for tightening immigration controls: Mexican authorities stop people before they approach the southern US border.
source: afp.com