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PRESS RELEASE


U.S. and Mexican Cabinet Officials Discuss Regional Economic Development As Key to Solving the Migration Crisis

Feb. 24, 2017 (EIRNS)—The U.S. Secretaries of Homeland Security, Gen. John Kelly, and State, Rex Tillerson, wrapped up a difficult two-day visit to Mexico yesterday, during which they met with their Mexican counterparts as well as President Enrique Peña Nieto. At a joint press conference at the Foreign Ministry, the American side issued a press statement saying the discussions had been "very productive," and that "we listened closely and carefully to each other, as we respectfully and patiently raised our respective concerns." Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray Caso also sounded an encouraged note, saying that

"we appreciate the presence of Secretaries Tillerson and Kelly in Mexico today, at a time when our countries and our governments have public and well-known differences, [and] the best way to resolve them is through dialogue"

—a reference to the pressing issues of border migration and drug trafficking.

Videgaray added that in a few months Mexico will call a meeting on migration with the government of the U.S., Central America, Canada and Colombia, "understanding that it is through the development of stability ... that we can solve the different causes of migration." Interior Minister Miguel Ángel Osorio Chong further emphasized the necessity of developing "a good regional development strategy."

For his part, Secretary Kelly also stressed that "I already talked about economic development in Central America to try to reduce the reasons why those people come to the United States." He added emphatically:

"Let me be very, very clear; there will be no, repeat, no mass deportations.... And again, listen to this: no, repeat, no use of military force in immigration operations, none."

Lyndon LaRouche has long insisted that the only way to solve the interlinked problems of undocumented migrants and drug and weapons trafficking, is with a policy of combined, accelerated economic development of the countries in question, while also wiping out the City of London and Wall Street banking interests which run the drug trade from the top.

The most immediate contentious issue that almost blew up the U.S.-Mexican talks before they even started, was the Feb. 20 publication by Kelly’s Department of Homeland Security of a memorandum on "Implementing the President’s Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvements Policies." Most disturbing to the Mexicans, the memo announced a change in policy whereby the United States will now

"return aliens arriving on land from a foreign territory contiguous to the U.S. ... to the territory from which they arrived, pending a formal removal proceeding."

What this means in practice is that the United States would no longer deport illegal migrants from Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras back to their respective countries of origin, but would simply send them back across into Mexican territory. Mexico immediately denounced the policy as unacceptable and a violation of international law.

This is no minor matter. The announced policy is unworkable and highly dangerous, should it even be attempted under current economic and security conditions. According to Department of Homeland Security statistics, during the eight-year Obama Presidency an average of about 400,000 people were deported from the U.S. every year—far more than earlier presidencies, earning the pro-drug Obama the moniker of "Deporter in Chief." Of those, about 280,00 (over 70%) were Mexicans, and 90,000 (over 20%) were Central Americans. If the Central Americans are now to be simply sent back across the border into Mexico, this would be tantamount to handing 90-100,000 impoverished and desperate Central Americans over to the highly organized drug cartels, which also run the weapons and human trafficking networks, turning the entire Mexico-U.S. border region into a narco-state.

Mexico is totally unprepared to handle such an influx of deportees, and would face conditions similar to those of Turkey or Greece, with their millions of Middle Eastern and African refugees. Far better to address the border crisis in the manner long advocated by LaRouche: that will work.

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