U.N. says pilot "integration" program for refugees in Mexico could ease U.S. border crossings

United Nations — The number of migrants and asylum seekers crossing the U.S. border from Mexico has soared in the past six months, leading several U.S. cities near southwest border entry points to declare emergencies. The United Nations refugee chief believes a pilot program in southern Mexico, while still running on a small scale, could eventually help relieve migration pressure on American communities by helping people long before they reach the U.S. border.

"Take Mexico, for example, which is the last country of transit before people arrive in the U.S," United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi told CBS News on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly last week: "In Mexico, we have initiated ourselves incredible programs to employ refugees that come from countries upstream so that they don't feel the need to go further, because they get opportunities in Mexico, with Mexico's support and agreement."