U.S., Mexico agree to tackle record migration as thousands surge toward border

A caravan of migrants and asylum seekers, many with small children, were trekking north to the U.S.-Mexico border as the two countries announced they were working together.

As the United States and Mexico vowed Thursday to work together more closely to tackle record migration at their shared border, thousands of migrants and asylum seekers continued to head toward the crossing, underscoring the urgency of the issue.

The countries said in a joint statement they would seek to strengthen a sponsorship initiative for Venezuelan, Cuban, Nicaraguan and Haitian migrants and look to tackle the root causes of migration, a day after a U.S. delegation led by Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and his government in Mexico City. More talks are scheduled in Washington next month.

The talks came after the U.S. temporarily shuttered two vital Texas railway crossings to redeploy agents toward enforcement amid a surge of illegal migrant crossings. A non-rail crossing remained closed at Lukeville, Ariz., and border operations were partially suspended at San Diego and Nogales, Ariz.

The closures sparked a trade slowdown that stung Mexican industries, as well as criticism of the Biden administration’s border policies.

Earlier Thursday, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said the two parties had agreed to keep border crossings open after the temporary closures.

“This agreement has been reached, the rail crossings and the border bridges are already being opened to normalize the situation,” Lopez Obrador told a morning press conference.

Lopez Obrador said Wednesday’s meetings with the U.S. delegation were “direct.”

As Lopez Obrador spoke, a large group of migrants and asylum seekers, many with small children, were trekking across Mexico toward the southern U.S. border. Some in the group held a banner reading “Exodus from poverty.”