Mexico will require visas for Venezuelans after US request

Mexico will require visas for Venezuelans after the U.S. reportedly requested tighter entry requirements due to the number of Venezuelan migrants coming into the country.

Mexico’s Interior Department announced Friday that Venezuelans will be required to have travel visas starting Jan. 21, The Associated Press reported. 

The announcement said the change was due to the large number of Venezuelans coming to Mexico to go “in an irregular manner to a third country.”

The “third country” is seemingly in reference to the U.S. as authorities have caught thousands of Venezuelans crossing the border in 2021. 

The restrictions come after multiple sources from the U.S. and Mexico told Reuters back in November that the U.S. was requesting Mexico put visa restrictions on Venezuelans. 

A source with the U.S. government told the outlet the country began the request for tighter restrictions last summer when concerns about Venezuelans crossing the border increased. 

A spokesperson for the State Department did not comment on the specific situation at the time, but said the government was working with Mexico on “irregular migration.”

“The United States maintains close coordination with our Mexican counterparts on shared migration priorities, including joint investments in regional development programs to address the root causes of irregular migration from northern Central America,” the spokesperson said. “The United States appreciates Mexico’s efforts that contribute to safe, orderly, and humane processes for migrants at and within its borders.”

Food shortages and hyperinflation under President Nicolás Maduro have caused at least 5.7 million Venezuelans to flee from their homes.