Mexico will no longer allow people on nonessential travel across its southern border with Belize and Guatemala, the latter of which saw tens of thousands of migrants cross into Mexico last month.
President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s administration announced Thursday that the country will impose restrictions to block traffic at ports of entry in an effort “to prevent the spread of COVID-19.” The move could affect Central Americans’ ability to get into Mexico, which would affect the number of adults, children, and families arriving on the U.S.-Mexico border amid a worsening crisis. It is not clear how Mexican authorities will respond to migrants who attempt to come over its southern border on rafts between border crossings.
However, the decision to block many travelers comes 12 months after the coronavirus first struck Mexico and raises questions as to why the country is suddenly imposing the travel ban. Mexico announced its decision on the same day that President Biden’s administration declared it would send 2.5 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Lopez Obrador.
American and Mexican officials did not answer questions about whether the closing of its border to nonessential traffic was specifically linked to the United States sending vaccines but did say the decision was made amid discussions on immigration and vaccines, according to the Associated Press.
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“There have been expectations set outside of, unrelated, to any vaccine doses or request for them that they would be partners in dealing with the crisis on the border,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said. “And there have been requests, unrelated, that they — for doses of these vaccines. … Every relationship has multiple layers of conversations that are happening at the same time.”
One senior Mexican health official said the decision was made now due to the rising number of people attempting to enter Mexico.
“There was a verifiable increase in local inflows, particularly from Central America,” Mexico’s assistant health secretary, Hugo Lopez-Gatell, told the Associated Press.
Meanwhile, the U.S. and Mexico agreed last March to impose a ban on all nonessential travel going north or south of the border. The Trump administration announced on March 20, 2020, that recreational and tourist travel would immediately be blocked at all land ports of entry. That ban has been renewed every 30 days since then and is valid through April 21.
The Mexican ban is akin to the U.S. version, which blocks “individuals traveling for tourism purposes (e.g., sightseeing, recreation, gambling, or attending cultural events)” from engaging in nonessential travel. Essential travelers are considered those traveling for medical reasons, people going to school, people who work in the farming or agriculture industries, emergency and public health officials, members of the military, and commercial employees involved in cross-border trade.
All others attempting to pass from Belize or Guatemala into Mexico must have a valid visa to enter the country, which most migrants lack.
Last March, Trump officials also implemented a recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention not to take anyone caught sneaking into the U.S. into custody to avoid filling holding stations and detention facilities with people in the midst of the pandemic. As a result, children or adults who were encountered coming over the southern border were turned back into Mexico or flown to their home country.
However, because illegal immigrants could not be detained, adults could not be prosecuted, giving people unlimited chances to get into the country. Border Patrol reported in late 2020 that it was encountering the same people trying to get in over and over again. In fiscal year 2019, 7% of people stopped at the border had previously attempted to get into the country. In 2020, that number rose 20%.
Last March, the number of people being encountered by Border Patrol initially dropped when the CDC recommendation was implemented, but it has risen from less than 20,000 per month to nearly 100,000 in February.
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The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
