Mexico Detained 79% More Migrants in April Amid Trump Threats
- Nation held 20,564 immigrants compared with 11,486 last year
- AMLO cracks down after switching tack of offering visas
Mexican Federal Police patrol along the U.S.-Mexico border in Mexicali, Mexico.
Photographer: Eros Hoagland/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Mexico detained thousands more migrants in April than a year ago after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to close the border, representing a shift in focus for the nation’s leftist president away from granting humanitarian visas.
Under President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, 20,564 people were presented to immigration authorities in April compared with 11,486 in April 2018, an increase of 79%. January to April numbers showed detentions rose 17%, according to data from Mexico’s immigration institute.