US, Mexico prepare for new migrant wave

Bloomberg

The US and Mexican governments are preparing for a surge in undocumented migrants heading for their border in the coming months after faster inflation in key countries in Central America added to economic hardship.
Officials from the administrations of Presidents Joe Biden and Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in recent days discussed their concern about the impact that rising food and energy prices will have on the region, according to people familiar with the talks, who asked not to be named without permission to speak publicly. Commodity prices globally have soared with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, hurting purchasing power and adding economic strain for developing nations.
A White House official confirmed that the higher cost of living was discussed during a trip by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to Mexico and Costa Rica. The governments see it as an additional factor that will spur migration by people already facing persistent violence and the misery of the Covid-19 pandemic heading into its third year, the official said.
Recent conversations have included the State Department, the National Security Council and the Mexican Foreign Ministry, the people said.
The State Department referred questions to the White House, and the press office of the Department of Homeland Security didn’t respond to a request for comment. The press office of Mexico’s Foreign Ministry declined to comment.
Honduras and El Salvador in February saw the fastest consumer price increases since 2014 and 2011, respectively. Inflation in Mexico was 7.3% in February, near the two-decade high reached in November.
Migration typically increases in the Northern Hemisphere’s spring months, when warmer weather makes the journey more feasible than in the winter. Although the US also is confronting inflation at a four-decade high, it’s in part the result of a strong US economy and tight labor market, conditions that have been historical drivers in attracting migrants.