Mexico’s New President Quickly Signs Legislation Aimed at Shutting Down Migrant Caravans

With the city of Tijuana reeling from an influx of migrants that Mexican authorities allowed to enter the country, Mexico’s new president has acted to stop further migrant caravans before they begin. On Saturday, new Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador signed an agreement with El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras to increase jobs in the region as a way to stem the flow of U.S.-bound migrants, The Washington Post reported. Finance ministers of the four nations will meet in the first quarter of 2019 to develop “programs, projects, and specific actions, for the sake of jobs generation and poverty fight in the region,” according to the agreement. An “integral development plan” will be created to make Central American nations better places to live, reducing the numbers of citizens who cite high crime and high unemployment as reasons to leave. Dialog with U.S. officials about the border will continue Monday as Mexican officials meet with Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, according to Politico.