On Tuesday the president of Mexico was asked by President Obama to work with the government of the United States to stop a new wave of undocumented immigrants. The executive action on immigration reform that Obama has taken has sparked fears of a new surge of undocumented immigrants entering the United States, and Obama wants the Mexican president’s help in making sure this does not happen.
Enrique Pena Nieto, the Mexican president, met with Obama at the White House. Obama says that the government of Mexico has agreed to help to “send a very clear message” to its country that the executive action being implemented in the United States does not extend to immigrants who have only just arrived; the action only applies to those who were living in the US prior to 2010.
Nieto promised to ensure that his country did everything it could to stop the spread of misinformation and the organized human trafficking groups that are likely to try to capitalize on recent events, and Obama pledged to put a greater emphasis on the issue of border security. “We’re also going to be much more aggressive at the border in ensuring that people come through the system legally,” he confirmed.
Mexico has a good reason for wanting to help Obama’s executive action on immigration reform, with two-thirds of the undocumented immigrants eligible to be part of the deferred action scheme being Mexican. Eligible Mexican citizens will be able to access better-paying jobs and higher education thanks to work permits and protection from deportation.