Immigration and the U.S. Relationship with Mexico

Mark Krikorian; Christopher Landau

By Mark Krikorian and Christopher Landau on November 4, 2021

Podcast

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Summary

The U.S.-Mexico relationship has a direct impact on American security and prosperity, and immigration, both legal and illegal, plays a key role. In this week’s episode of Parsing Immigration Policy, Christopher Landau, former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico (2019-2021), discusses Mexican immigration laws, cooperation with the United States, and Mexican attitudes toward migration.

Landau touches on the changing attitudes of Mexicans towards migration due in part to the changes that have occurred. Migrants from all over the world are entering Mexico on their way to the U.S. southern border. Mexicans are no longer the dominant population entering the United States illegally; “other than Mexican” nationals (OTMs) accounted for well over 60 percent of the apprehensions at the border and all of these individuals had to cross through Mexico, in violation of Mexican laws. It is more than just a threat to Mexican national sovereignty; criminal networks, which control the historic levels of third-country migration through Mexico, are being enriched, with long-term implications for Mexico.

Landau weighs in on the history and future of the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), better known as the “Remain in Mexico” program, and the abuse of the U.S. and Mexican asylum systems. He fears the possibility that Mexico will be used as a punching bag in American domestic politics.

In his closing commentary, Mark Krikorian, the Center’s executive director and host of Parsing Immigration Policy, discusses recent developments in the “Remain in Mexico” program.