Exclusive-Mexico examines stricter entry rules for Venezuelans after US request – sources Reuters

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Alexandra Ulmer, Dave Graham (NYSE 🙂 and Matt Spetalnick
SAN FRANCISCO / MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexico is considering imposing tougher conditions on the entry of Venezuelans, in response to U.S. demands, following a sharp rise in the number of border arrests of Venezuelans fleeing their hometowns, according to three acquaintances.
Today, Venezuelans do not need a visa to enter Mexico as a tourist. But as the capture of Venezuelan migrants on the U.S.-Mexico border rises, Mexico is considering making their entry subject to certain criteria, a Mexican official familiar with internal government discussions said.
The new entry rules may apply soon, the official said.
A second Mexican government source said Mexico was reviewing its options and was in discussions with Venezuela to consider alternatives to implementing visa requirements.
A third person familiar with the talks between Mexico and the US said Washington was urging Mexico to impose visa restrictions on Venezuelans, and said it had denounced the rise of Venezuelans in US Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Among the options being explored is to show Venezuelans financially solvency and employment and to have a return plane ticket when they enter, to ensure they do not use Mexico to enter the U.S., the first source said.
A U.S. State Department spokesman said Washington was working with Mexico to address the causes of irregular migration “cooperatively and from a regional perspective,” when asked by Reuters whether the Biden administration was pressuring Mexico to tighten Venezuelan entry conditions.
“The United States appreciates Mexico’s efforts to help make migrants safe, orderly, and humane processes, both within and within its borders,” the spokesman said.
The White House, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and CBP did not immediately respond to the request for comment. Neither the Mexican Foreign Ministry nor the Venezuelan Ministry of Information responded to the request for comment.
Discussions saw the number of Venezuelan meetings on the U.S.-Mexico border rise to 47,762 a year, up from 1,262 in September to 12 months, according to U.S. government data.
Total arrests of migrants on the U.S.-Mexico border https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-under-pressure-us-mexico-border-arrests-reach-record-highs-2021-10-20 set record this year. This has put pressure on US President Joe Biden ahead of next November’s congressional election, angering many voters in Texas’s border towns https://www.reuters.com/world/us/migrants-school-buses-texas-town-feels- caught-middle- 2021-09-21 and Republicans accuse his administration of pursuing an “open border” policy.
One Mexican source said Washington lobbied Mexico to slow down its arrival from Venezuela, but Mexico also wanted to make sure people did not enter with false intentions.
A fourth source in the U.S. government said efforts to tighten conditions for Mexico’s accession to OPEC-affiliated Venezuela had intensified since Venezuelan arrivals rose this summer, and requests for cooperation were made informally by diplomats and DHS. According to the source, Washington was not bowing hard to Mexico.
Strict entry rules could seriously affect the migration plans of many Venezuelans, who pay for smuggling networks 14 to help President Nicolas Maduro escape the economic catastrophe that has led to a severe financial catastrophe amid harsh US sanctions. Many Venezuelans go there with little money.
Venezuelans who come from other Latin American places like Colombia or Chile, where they often work for a few years to save hard money before moving north, would probably suffer less from their solvency-based demands.
Rights activists condemned a potential move to curb Venezuelan arrivals on Friday.
“Venezuelan migrants and refugees are fleeing a complex humanitarian emergency, lack of justice, lack of freedom and violence,” said David Smolansky, the exiled Venezuelan opposition leader who coordinates the United States Organization’s response to the Venezuelan migration crisis. “In the face of such a situation, it is essential to receive protection.”
Reuters reported in October that the Biden administration wanted Mexico to impose visa requirements on Brazilians https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/brazilians-flock-us-border-an-alleged-smuggler-cashes-2021-10-12 for the U.S. border to complicate the path. And in September, Mexico suspended visa waivers for Ecuadorians for six months after greatly increasing the number of citizens in that country trying to cross the U.S. border.
A U.S. government source said Biden’s aides could raise the issue of Venezuelan migrants to a delegation from Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador when he visits Washington next week for a U.S.-Mexico-Canada summit.
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