Latino

Mexican president-elect promises Central Americans work visas

by Rafael Bernal - 10/18/18 10:12 AM ET

Mexican President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Wednesday his administration will give work visas to Central American migrants who flee their countries.

Lopez Obrador, who will be sworn in on December 1, said his work visa program will start on the first day of his administration, the Excelsior newspaper reported.

{mosads}”It’s about giving options, giving alternatives, so those who leave their towns in search of work will have work opportunities,” he said.

“… whoever wants to work in our country will have support, will have a work visa, [we] won’t address the issue only with deportations or shows of force,” added Lopez Obrador.

President Trump on Thursday threatened to militarize the U.S.-Mexico border in response to a surge in family units from Central America seeking asylum in the United States.

A day earlier, Mexico announced the deployment of 500 federal police to its southern border to cope with a 4,000-strong migrant caravan that left Honduras Monday.

Lopez Obrador, who’s maintained a cordial relationship with Trump, has said he wants to initiate a bilateral development agreement between Mexico and the United States, in the vein of former President Kennedy’s Alliance for Prosperity program.

Tags Donald Trump Illegal immigration Immigration Mexico