Held Massive Operations, Mexican Authorities Arrest 5,234 Migrants In A Day

Migrants from Mexico to the United States on the borderung - San Diego. (Wikimedia Commons/Tomas Castelazo)

JAKARTA - Held A Massive Operation, Mexican Authorities Arrest 5,234 Migrants In A Day

The joint operation was carried out on Tuesday by the Navy and the military as well as immigration authorities, quoted from Anadolu December 5.

Meanwhile, the navy said at least 350,000 migrants were arrested by Mexican authorities from October 1 to December 3, quoted by Reuters.

The move comes amid pressure on Mexico from US President-elect Donald Trump to step up efforts to stop migrants from entering the United States.

It also follows a phone call last month between Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Trump, where she claims to "acquire to stop migration through Mexico" and to the United States.

However, President Sheinbaum's statement about the conversation differed from Trump's statement.

"In our conversation with President Trump, I explained to him the comprehensive strategy Mexico has followed to overcome the migration phenomenon, with respect to human rights," he said in an upload on X.

"We reiterate that Mexico's position is not to close borders but to build bridges between governments and the people," he said.

Trump himself threatened to impose a 25 percent import duty on Mexican goods if the country did not stop the flow of migrants and synthetic drugs such as fentanyl across the border.

Meanwhile, President Sheinbaum has been fighting for his government's migration policies, saying migrant interception on the Mexican-US border has decreased by 75 percent between December 2023 and November 2024, the situation on Mexico's southern border reflects a different reality.

According to the Migration, Registration, and People's Identity Policy Unit (UPMRIP), as of July this year, more than 229,379 migrants from Latin, Asian, and African Americas have entered through Mexico via Chiapas, a southern state bordering Guatemala.

This is an increase of 24 percent compared to 2023 and an increase of 80 percent compared to 2022.

President Sheinbaum also praised the so-called largest confiscation of fentanyl in the country's history, which further strengthens its commitment to the upcoming Trump administration.