Mexico has cut migration to US by 75%: Foreign Minister

QUERETARO, Mexico

Mexico’s foreign minister said Wednesday that the country has cut the flow of migration to the United States by about 75% in the last eight months.

Marcelo Ebrard said the number of migrants sent to Mexico as part of the U.S. Migrant Protection Protocols, also known as the “Remain in Mexico” policy, has also declined.

Under the policy, migrants and refugees are sent to some of the most dangerous cities in Mexico as they await immigration trials in the U.S.

Ebrard said the U.S. sent around 2,000 migrants to Mexico in January, down from an estimated 50,000 who were at one point waiting in Mexico for their immigration cases.

Last May, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened Mexico with tariffs if the country did not reduce the number of migrants reaching its southern border.

Since then, Mexico has severely cut the migration flow. But Ebrard said the country is not trying to limit the number of refugees.