Presidential Candidate Vows to "Restore Order" at Mexico's Southern Border if Elected

On Sunday, presidential candidate Xóchitl Gálvez vowed during the final debate leading up to the elections that, if victorious, she will "restore order" at Mexico's southern border. "It is very clear that today the southern border is in the hands of criminals; today criminals control migration, and that is very serious," emphasized Gálvez, from the opposition coalition Fuerza y Corazón por México, during the third and final debate organized by the National Electoral Institute, reported Telemundo 51.

With the presidential elections just around the corner on June 2, various candidates have focused their arguments on the issue of migration, according to the mentioned television network.

Criticism of AMLO's Migration Policies

The migration policy implemented by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) of the National Regeneration Movement (Morena) and the political initiative known as the "Fourth Transformation" or "4T" was heavily criticized by Gálvez. "He caved to Donald Trump (2017-2021), accepting the return of migrants from other countries without demanding at least some regularization for our compatriots living in the United States," pointed out the candidate, who recently vowed to end the hiring of Cuban doctors if she wins the elections in Mexico.

While Gálvez took aim at AMLO's administration, accusing it of "caving" to former U.S. President Trump, another opposition candidate, Jorge Álvarez Máynez of the Civic Movement (MC), called for "more firmness." Álvarez insisted he would be a president who defends Mexicans wherever they are, and also stated that "to demand respect at the northern border, we must respect human rights at the southern border, stop being the backyard of the United States," he commented.

In this context, although he questioned AMLO's stance towards the United States, he also reminded that Trump came to the country as a candidate when President Enrique Peña Nieto (2012-2018) of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) was in power, the same party now nominating Gálvez. According to him, it is important to consider that Mexico "needs firmness and intelligence in its relationship with the United States, especially if a racist like Trump comes to power. Peña Nieto welcomed Trump and campaigned for him, a disgrace."

Álvarez also stressed that it would be challenging if Trump returns to the White House after the U.S. elections next November, indicating the impacts of both countries having presidential elections this year.

On the topic, the candidate and representative of the Morena party—the same as AMLO—Claudia Sheinbaum, acknowledged during the debate that it is necessary to reform the National Institute of Migration and the Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance, better known as Comar. Sheinbaum praised AMLO's work in foreign policy and assured that she would continue with the idea of addressing the causes of migration, reported CNN.

Rising Migration Numbers

The issue of migration has gained prominence among the candidates and the general population as a record of more than 782,000 irregular migrants was reported in 2023, an annual increase of nearly 77%. Recently, the presidents of the United States and Mexico announced they would take immediate measures to significantly reduce irregular migrant crossings at the border between both countries.

Joe Biden and Andrés Manuel López Obrador issued a joint statement revealing they spoke by phone on Sunday, April 28, about their ongoing commitment to strengthen bilateral and regional cooperation for the benefit of their peoples. "In the short term, the two leaders ordered their national security teams to work together to immediately implement concrete measures to significantly reduce irregular border crossings while protecting human rights," the statement details.