Mexico deportations of Central American migrants hit record high

As proof of the toughening of Mexican control to contain the persistent irregular migration of Central Americans that shot up on October 2018 , Mexico registered the highest number of deportations by land of Guatemalans, Hondurans, Salvadorans , and Nicaraguans from January to July 2019 since 2010 , with the exception of 2015 in that same period, the government of Guatemala informed today.

Through the land border of Guatemala, Mexico deported 90,452 Central Americans from January to July 2019, which is close to the total of deportations of 2018 , 98,133 , and exceeded more than half of the 158,789 deportations in 2015 , which was the year with more expulsions since 2010 when the count started, as reported a group of statistics of the Guatemalan Migration Institute (IGM) obtained by EL UNIVERSAL .

Deportations of Central Americans from January to July 2015 from Mexico to Guatemala added to 97,100, in comparison to 60,060 in the same months of 2014 , according to the IGM.

Last June

, Mexico deployed thousands of soldiers of the National Guard on the northern and southern borders to stop the multitudinous streams of i rregular Central American migrants headed to the United States .

On June 7th , Washington threatened Mexico with progressive tariffs to its exports to the U.S. if it did not establish tougher restrictions to illegal Central American travelers who passed through Mexico and if it did not comply with American President Donald Trump’s harsh policies against migration.

Widespread poverty and inequality are the engines of international immigration

Data from Guatemala’s government showed that the new Mexican policies adopted under pressure of Washington had a strong impact .

According to official Guatemalan figures, there were 54,172 deportations from January to July 2018 , while in that same period in 2017 there were 22,094 , one of the lowest figures in the last five years. From January to July 2016 , there were 70,453 deportations.

Annual totals

increased from 62,998 in 2010 and 60,246 in 2011 , to 77,876 in 2012, to decrease to 72,692 in 2013 , the IGM added.

The amount increased to 158,789 in 2015 , decreased to 128,235 in 2016 and to 72,128 in 2017 , to increase again to 98,133 in 2018, according to the figures in the report.

With the statistics from January to July 2019 , the perspectives for this year are for the totals continue increasing incessantly from August to December 2019 .

The counts of the IGM determined that Mexico expulsed 935,658 Guatemalans, Salvadorans, Hondurans, and Nicaraguans from J anuary 1st, 2010 to July 31st, 2019 .

A peculiarity in 2019 is that Hondurans head the deportations from Mexico to Guatemala with 47,982 , followed by Guatemalans , with 30,283 , Salvadorans , with 10,865 , and Nicaraguans , with 1,322 . In previous years, Guatemalans and Hondurans took turns in first and second place.

The data reported that, from January 1st, 2010 to July 31st, 2019 , Mexico deported 408,570 Guatemalans , 376,674 Hondurans , 145,461 Salvadorans , and 9,615 Nicaraguans .

U.S. military interventions and “free trade” are behind migration in the Northern Triangle

On the other hand, the institute pointed out that, with regard to deportations of Guatemalans by plane by the U.S ., from January 1st to August 1st, 2019 , there were 33,487 , against 34,508 in the same period of 2018 .

In eight months of 2017 , there were 19,006 , and 21,971 in the same period of 2016 , 18,888 in 2015 , and 34,456 in 2014 . The registers of Guatemala showed that the U.S. deported 386,939 Guatemalans in that same period of 2019 .

The elimination of the U.S. asylum system will not stop the immigrant wave

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