By Mike Stone
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A high-level U.S. State Department meeting with Mexican officials on Friday lauded progress following a crackdown on illegal immigration, a State Department spokesman said on Saturday.
A crackdown on migrant smuggling networks, train and bus routes has produced results, Matthew Miller, a State Department spokesman, said in a statement.
“Our coordinated efforts with Mexico are demonstrating positive results at our shared border,” the statement said.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Mexican Foreign Secretary Alicia Bárcena on Friday at the U.S. Department of State in Washington. Top-level officials from other government agencies involved in immigration coordination also attended
The U.S. also made a commitment to support Guatemala, a source of some migrants.
“The United States stands ready to support the people of Guatemala and their new government on a wide range of issues including economic development and hemispheric migration management,” the statement said.
Republicans in the U.S. Congress have blocked emergency funding for Ukraine in an effort to push new security policies along the U.S.-Mexico border. They blame Biden’s policies for an influx of immigrants into the United States.
U.S. President Joe Biden signaled on Friday that he is hopeful a deal over the U.S.-Mexico border could be worked out next week – at least in the Senate.
(Reporting by Mike Stone in Washington; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
