U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan released a statement on July 28, 2023, announcing additional steps the United States is taking “to expand access to safe, orderly, legal migration pathways” following meetings in Mexico between Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and a U.S. delegation led by White House Homeland Security Advisor Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall.
Mr. Sullivan announced the United States’ “full support” for “an international multipurpose space that the Government of Mexico plans to establish in southern Mexico to offer new refugee and labor options for the most vulnerable people who are currently in Mexico. We also commit to accept refugee resettlement referrals from qualified individuals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela who are already in Mexico.”
President Biden “has significantly expanded legal pathways to the United States, in line with the goals of the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection,” Mr. Sullivan said. “We encourage migrants to use these legal pathways instead of putting their lives in the hands of dangerous smugglers and traffickers. Pursuant to our laws, those seeking to enter the United States unlawfully will continue to face strong consequences, including removal, possible criminal prosecution, and a bar on reentry.”
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