MARCELO EBRARD

Guatemalan families awaiting word on the fate of relatives involved in a deadly migrant smuggling accident in southern Mexico are now also living with the terror of extortionists telling them their loved ones have been kidnapped.

Migrants traversing Mexico have long suffered unspeakable abuses. The perpetrators have rarely been brought to justice.

President Joe Biden has joined with the leaders of Canada and Mexico to revive what used to be a North American tradition before the Trump presidency.

A growing migrant caravan set out early after a day of rest on its trek across southern Mexico.

Officials from Mexico and the United States are developing a new framework for their governments’ security relationship that is more “holistic” in addressing crime and will tackle a broader range of issues than the previous initiative.

U.S. officials say many of the thousands of Haitian migrants camped in the small Texas border town of Del Rio are being released in the United States with notices to appear in immigration court or to an immigration office.

A gathering of leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean here this weekend is the latest sign of Mexico flexing its diplomatic muscle as it looks to assert itself as the new mediator between the region and the United States.

The United States and Mexico have restarted high-level economic talks after a four-year pause.

Representatives of Venezuela’s government and opposition say they have agreed to find ways to deal with the pressing needs of Venezuelans, especially in combatting the coronavirus pandemic.

Government and Venezuelan opposition representatives are continuing a dialogue aimed at finding a common path out of their country’s political standoff.

The government of Venezuela and its opposition have met for the first time in two years to look for a change in the South American nation's prolonged political standoff.

The United States will send Mexico 8.5 million more doses of COVID-19 vaccine as the delta variant drives the country’s third wave of infections.

The Mexican government presented a civil lawsuit against several U.S. gun manufacturers, alleging that they contribute to illegal gun trafficking to Mexico.

The Mexican government is suing U.S. gun manufacturers and distributors, arguing that their commercial practices have unleashed tremendous bloodshed in Mexico.

As the number of coronavirus deaths starts to recede in Brazil, a renewed sense of optimism has taken over.

France and Mexico have signed an agreement pledging to cooperate to fight trafficking of cultural artifacts.

An overpass collapse killed 26 and has put pressure on leading Mexican politicians and businessmen.

A preliminary report by experts into the collapse of a Mexico City elevated subway line that killed 26 people placed much of the blame on poor welds that joined steel support beams to a concrete layer supporting the track bed.

In consecutive visits this month, Vice President Kamala Harris and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas have conveyed to the most important U.S. partner that the Biden administration is taking a more nuanced approach to immigration than its predecessor, but still asking what more Mexico can do.

The Nevada school district for Las Vegas and the rest of Clark County says fully vaccinated students and staff are no longer required to wear masks in most situations.

San Diego County and private businesses have donated 10,000 coronavirus vaccines to vaccinate workers at U.S.-owned border assembly plants in Tijuana known as maquiladoras, Mexico’s top diplomat said Tuesday. Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said the program is aimed at helping equalize vaccination rates at closely connected points along the U.S.-Mexico border. “The purpose is to try to equalize vaccination rates along the northern border, above all in the cities that have a high degree of interconnection, like San Diego and Tijuana,” he said.

Mexico’s top diplomat says shipments of a long-delayed lot of AstraZeneca vaccines will finally be sent to Argentina.

Mexico’s top diplomat said Tuesday that shipments of a long-delayed lot of AstraZeneca vaccines will finally be sent to Argentina this weekend. Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said about 800,000 doses will be flown to Argentina. Mexico will get a similar amount, and he expressed hopes that later shipments can be sent to other Latin American countries.

Mexican authorities say Russia has been having so many problems producing second doses of its Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine that there won't be enough to give people who got the first dose a second shot.

The Mexico City elevated subway line that collapsed, killing 25 people, was so poorly designed from the start in 2012 that passengers and experts came to fear many things

The Mexico City elevated subway line that collapsed, killing 25 people, was so poorly designed from the start in 2012 that passengers and experts came to fear many things.

The Mexico City elevated subway line that collapsed this week, killing 25 people, was problem-plagued and poorly designed from the day of its inauguration in 2012. Passengers and authorities alike came to fear that the screeching and bouncing of wheels on the line’s tight curves were quickly wearing away the tracks, raising fears of a derailment. José Antonio López Meza said the defects detected in the subway system report — a sagging section of too-weak steel near the latest accident — is the kind of thing that could have contributed to Monday’s collapse.

Anger and frustration boiled over among families of the victims of Mexico City's subway collapse as they prepared to bury the 25 people who died.

Questions mount over the safety record of a Mexico City metro line after a deadly overpass collapse.

Two train carriages plunged to the ground when an elevated metro line collapsed.

The overpass collapsed late Monday, sending subway cars plunging from Mexico City's newest subway line toward a busy boulevard.

The collapse in Mexico City sent a train plummeting toward the busy boulevard below. The mayor said people might still be trapped in the train.

The collapse in Mexico City sent a train plummeting toward the busy boulevard below. The mayor said people might still be trapped in the train.

Parts of a train were seen hanging from the overpass

At least 15 people were killed and 70 injured after a metro overpass in Mexico City collapsed onto a road on Monday night, authorities said.

An overpass of the Mexico City Metro collapsed, sending a train plunging onto the road below, trapping cars and killing at least 23 people.

Mexico will begin bottling and packaging the Russian COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V, Mexico Foreign Affairs Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said Wednesday, two days after Brazil refused to approve the shot. Mexico has already received more than 1 million doses of Sputnik V in recent months. Ebrard said the state-owned company Birmex is working with the Russian Direct Investment Fund to prepare the bottling operations.

Russia’s top diplomat says his country's relations with the United States are even worse now than during Cold War times because of a lack of mutual respect.

An elderly woman gets her shot of the Pfizer vaccine for COVID-19 in Mexico City, Monday, March 8, 2021. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)MEXICO CITY – Mexico announced a huge bet on Chinese vaccines Tuesday, without making public any information about their efficacy. The total of 32 million doses, plus at least 4 million doses of the CanSino shot, would dwarf the estimated 5 million vaccine doses Mexico has acquired so far from other sources. Mexico has administered only about 4.7 million doses of all vaccines, a tiny amount given the country’s population of 126 million. AdInoculations with Chinese vaccines already have begun in more than 25 countries.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, second from right, speaks during a virtual meeting at the State Department in Washington, Friday, Feb. 26, 2021, with Canadian Foreign Minister Marc Garneau who is in Ottawa, Canada. But they were geographically far apart Friday as Secretary of State Antony Blinken, because of the pandemic, started a new chapter in North American relations with virtual visits to Mexico and Canada in what was billed as his first official trip. “The United States has long-standing relationships with both Mexico and Canada," Blinken said afterward. The secretary began his virtual visits with Mexico, a country Trump repeatedly disparaged in his campaign and early in his presidency, though relations turned more cordial under López Obrador. AdBiden last week made his first bilateral meeting, also virtual, with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who at times had a frosty relationship with Trump.

___WASHINGTON — Coronavirus vaccine makers tell Congress to expect a big increase in the delivery of doses over the coming month. AdLooking ahead to summer, Pfizer and Moderna expect to complete delivery of 300 million doses each, and J&J aims to provide an additional 100 million doses. ___MADRID — Spain has registered 7,461 new coronavirus cases and 443 more deaths. AdThe country has reached a total of 3.1 million cases and 68,000 confirmed deaths. Ad___GENEVA — The head of the World Health Organization is criticizing the lack of access to coronavirus vaccines for the world’s poor.

FILE - In this Feb. 7, 2020 file photo, people wearing masks attend a vigil for Chinese doctor Li Wenliang, in Hong Kong. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)HONG KONG — Hong Kong is reducing social distancing rules following a sharp drop in new coronavirus cases, including restarting indoor dining and reopening gyms. More than two-thirds of the new cases were in Seoul area, home to half of South Korea’s 51 million people. The company has contracted to provide 100 million doses — enough for 100 million Americans — by the end of June. “We just need the vaccine to arrive.”___ATLANTA — Snowy and icy weather across much of the nation has “significantly” delayed shipments of COVID-19 vaccine to Georgia, state health officials said Wednesday.

The coronavirus has infected more than 109 million people and killed at least 2.4 million of them. America's top diplomat said the U.S. also plans to provide “significant financial support” to COVAX through the GAVI vaccine alliance, and will work to strengthen other multilateral initiatives involved in the global COVID-19 response. India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar also called for a halt to “vaccine nationalism” and encouragement for internationalism. he said Russia is ready to discuss progress on implementing the only resolution the Security Council has adopted on the pandemic. After three months of difficult negotiations, the council last July 1 endorsed fhe secretary-general’s call for cease-fires in major global conflicts to tackle COVID-19.

López Obrador appeared “with resolute spirit, working and looking good,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Marcelo Ebrard, who is also isolating and awaiting test results, said on Twitter. On Monday, the WHO chief said via Twitter: “I am sorry to hear that you have tested positive for #COVID19, President @lopezobrador— . Stay strong!”At the start of the pandemic López Obrador was criticized for leaning into crowds and giving hugs. López Obrador is known to be stubborn and more often doubles down on a position rather than retreat in the face of criticism. ___Associated Press video journalist Lissette Romero and AP writer Mark Stevenson in Mexico City and writer Jamey Keaten in Geneva contributed to this report.

Mexico President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador says he has tested positive for COVID-19 and is under medical treatment, Sunday, Jan. 24, 2021. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte, File)MEXICO CITY – Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Sunday he has tested positive for COVID-19 and that the symptoms are mild. Early in the pandemic, asked how he was protecting Mexico, López Obrador removed two religious amulets from his wallet and proudly showed them off. At the start of the pandemic López Obrador was criticized for still leaning into crowds and giving hugs. Besides López Obrador, other Latin American leaders who have tested positive for the coronavirus are Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro, Guatemala’s Alejandro Giammattei, Honduras’ Juan Orlando Hernández and Bolivia’s then-interim President Jeanine Ánéz.

The country's 1.4 million health workers will be the first to get the shots, followed by the elderly, those with underlying health conditions that make them more vulnerable to the disease, and teachers. Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said Mexico was the first country in Latin America to get the vaccine, though others were close behind. In Costa Rica, which is the third country in the region to begin using the Pfizer vaccine, the first shot was given Thursday to Elizabeth Castillo, 91. Argentina, which has run into problems obtaining the Pfizer vaccine, received a flight carrying 300,000 doses of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine. Argentina plans to become the first country in Latin America to administer the Russian vaccine starting next week.

A demonstrator wears a face shield with a red handprint, mimicking blood, to protest Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's handling of the deadly coronavirus pandemic in Brasilia, Brazil, Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2020. ___NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Dozens of Tennessee hospitals have stopped taking transfer patients because they are overwhelmed during one of the nation’s worst recent outbreaks of COVID-19 cases. ___DENVER — Colorado has started vaccinating correctional workers as the state sees a surge of coronavirus cases in its prisons. ___BOSTON — Help is on the way for Massachusetts small businesses struggling during the coronavirus pandemic, with Gov. COVID-19 cases have been declining in New Mexico, but the economic fallout from the pandemic continues.

(AP Photo / Marco Ugarte )MEXICO CITY – Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has tossed another hot potato to U.S. President-elect Joe Biden with a proposal that would restrict U.S. agents in Mexico and remove their diplomatic immunity. “The proposal is that foreign agents will not have any immunity,” according to a summary of the president's proposal to the Mexican Senate published Friday. “The proposal requires that foreign agents give Mexican authorities the information they gather,” according the proposed changes. It’s going to be leaked, it’s going to compromise agents, it’s going to compromise informants," Vigil said. “Ninety percent of the information sharing goes from the DEA to Mexico, rather from Mexico to the US.

Regarding drug traffickers and others whose crimes affect the United States, Ramírez said, “that justifies them being tried in the United States." Roberto Velasco, Mexico’s director general of North American Affairs, said generally, crimes in Mexico would be investigated and prosecuted in Mexico. He was also accused of introducing cartel leaders to other corrupt Mexican officials. That decision came after reports that Mexico had threatened to expel the Drug Enforcement Administration’s regional director and agents. Mexican officials complained that the U.S. failed to share evidence against Cienfuegos and that his arrest came as a surprise.

The officials asked not to be named because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the case. He was also accused of introducing cartel leaders to other corrupt Mexican officials. Mexican officials complained that the U.S. failed to share evidence against Cienfuegos and that his arrest came as a surprise. In the case of Cienfuegos, Mexican officials have taken no official position on whether he is innocent or guilty, saying that was up to the attorney general’s office to decide. U.S. civil rights lawyer Ron Kuby said the Cienfuegos case marks an odd capstone to the Trump administration.

MEXICO CITY – Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador proposed a former journalist and long-time Mexico City government bureaucrat to be the country’s new security chief Friday at a time when the country is on track to set a new annual homicide record. López Obrador said he had not asked her in advance and she was currently in quarantine, recovering from COVID-19. When López Obrador was Mexico City mayor from 2000 to 2005, Rodríguez held posts in public security and was social development secretary. López Obrador has given more responsibility than any other president in modern times to the military and not just in the security realm. “We couldn’t pretend it was going to be easy to fix the problem.”__AP writer Christopher Sherman in Mexico City contributed to this report.

FILE - In this June 23, 2020, file photo, President Donald Trump tours a section of the border wall in San Luis, Ariz. During his 2016 primary run, Trump sought to mark his ground as a hard-line immigration enforcer who would build a great, great wall on our southern border. Nearly four years later, Trump still has work to do completing his wall and much that has been completed has been paid by U.S. taxpayers despite promises otherwise. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

For example, when Mexico was on the brink of defaulting on treaty obligations governing water-sharing this month, the Trump administration provided a graceful exit. Trump made Mexico an immigration waiting room for the U.S. and some say effectively pushed the U.S. frontier south for immigrants. Thousands of asylum seekers were forced to wait out their cases in Mexican border cities before the pandemic allowed the U.S. to effectively suspend its asylum system at the border. Mexico might expect greater recognition of shared responsibility from a Biden administration, but Mexico’s own security strategy has been difficult to decipher. The Trump administration has focused on deporting undocumented immigrants and narrowing the path to legal entry.

FILE - In this Friday, Sept. 15, 2017, file photo, Mexico's Defense Secretary Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda gestures as U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis listens during a reception ceremony in Mexico City. Mexico's top diplomat says the country's former defense secretary, Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos, has been arrested in Los Angeles. Mexico's defense secretary is not just another Cabinet post. The president doesn’t just choose a defense secretary — he chooses from a list of acceptable candidates that the generals submit. Mexico’s Defense Department had no immediate reaction to Cienfuegos’ arrest.

FILE - In this April 16, 2016 file photo, Mexico's Defense Secretary Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda salutes soldiers at the Number 1 military camp in Mexico City. Ambassador Christopher Landau had informed him that Gen. Cienfuegos has been arrested in Los Angeles. One of the people said the warrant was for drug trafficking and money laundering charges. He is the highest-ranking former Cabinet official arrested since the top Mexican security official Genaro Garcia Luna was arrested in Texas in 2019. Under Cienfuegos, the Mexican army was accused of frequent human rights abuses, but that was true of both his predecessors and his successor in the post.

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard on Friday announced restrictions on crossings for tourism at the U.S.-Mexico border as a coronavirus contention measure, but emphasized that trade, work and medical trips would not be affected. Ebrard said the measures by U.S. authorities would affect who was able to cross the border at ports of entry. He did not say whether additional measures were being taken to restrict illegal migration. Yes, in cases of tourism and recreation, essentially, it will be restricted, he said. Roughly 3 million personal vehicles crossed legally each month in 2019 between San Diego, California, and the Mexican border city of Tijuana, according to U.S. Department of Transportation data.

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said on Friday that Mexico will allow the United States to return to Mexico Central American migrants caught trying to enter the United States illegally at the U.S.-Mexico border. However, Ebrard noted that Mexico will not permit the United States to send back migrants detained on the joint frontier who are not Mexican or Central American.

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said on Friday that Mexico and the United States have agreed to form a joint task force to work on measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus at the U.S.-Mexico border. Reporting by Raul Fernandez; writing Drazen Jorgic; Editing by Dave Graham

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said on Thursday that he held talks with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and proposed that the two countries keep their shared border open for commerce and work, even as they seek to combat the coronavirus. Writing on Twitter, Ebrard said he had proposed that the measures the countries took to fight coronavirus do not paralyze economic activity and that his suggestions had been met with a good disposition.

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexicos government on Wednesday amplified its assertion that the Aug. 3 mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, was an act of terrorism against Mexicans, urging the United States to ensure the attack was designated as such. FILE PHOTO: A man places an American flag in the pile of flowers that has gathered a day after a mass shooting at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas, U.S. August 4, 2019. Twenty-two people, including eight Mexican citizens, were killed in the shooting at a Walmart store in the U.S. border city, an event Mexico quickly said it would investigate as a terrorist act. Later, the foreign ministry issued a statement saluting Texas Governor Greg Abbotts announcement he was forming a domestic terrorism task force following the El Paso shooting in order to combat hateful acts and extremism in Texas. The attack caused widespread revulsion in Mexico at a time of persistent diplomatic tensions between Trump administration and the Mexican government over trade and immigration.

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A Mexican man who threw himself in front of his wife to shield her from bullets in a mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, died on Monday, officials and his family said, raising the toll of Mexican nationals killed in one of two weekend mass shootings in the United States to eight. Juan de Dios Velazquez, who was caught in Saturday's shooting at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas, U.S., is seen in this undated photo provided by his family, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico August 5, 2019. He couldnt fight anymore, his heart started to fail, said Idaly Velazquez, a niece who confirmed his passing to Reuters. On Monday, Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, who was visiting El Paso, tweeted unfortunately, Juan de Dios Velazquez Chairez, originally from Zacatecas, died. The deaths on Monday raised the total to 22, El Paso police said on Twitter.

EL PASO, Texas (Reuters) - Mexico will investigate the mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, that killed 22 people, including eight Mexican citizens, as an act of terrorism and may request the suspected shooter be extradited to Mexico for trial, the countrys foreign minister said on Monday. Ebrard said he would meet with the Mexican attorney general on Tuesday to share results of the U.S. investigation and build a terrorism case. We consider this an act of terrorism, in this case carried out in U.S. territory, but an act of terrorism against Mexicans, Ebrard said at the Mexican consulate in El Paso. It will be the first investigative case of this importance in the history of Mexico regarding terrorism in United States territory, he added. People gather to pay their respects at a growing memorial site two days after a mass shooting at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas, U.S. August 5, 2019.

Mexico's government said it considers a shooting at a crowded department store in El Paso, Texas that left eight of its citizens dead an "act of terrorism" against Mexicans and hopes it will lead to changes in U.S. gun laws. "An investigation will be opened for terrorism, because that's what it was," Ebrard said at a press conference. Ebrard also met with families of the victims and the injured and promised to speed up the repatriation process for the bodies of the eight Mexican victims. Many in Mexico were reeling from revelations that the shooting appeared to have been aimed at Hispanics, and Mexicans in particular. He then allegedly targeted a shopping area in El Paso that is about 5 miles (8 kilometers) from the main border checkpoint with Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

Mexican foreign minister Marcelo Ebrard, gestures as he holds a news conference about the mass shooting in Texas in the U.S., in Mexico City, Mexico August 4, 2019. For Mexico, this individual is a terrorist, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said at a news conference, urging the United States to deliver a clear and forceful position against hate crimes. Ebrard said his ministry would request information from the United States on how the shooter acquired the weapon he used, and whether U.S. officials were aware of the purchase. Ebrard, who will visit El Paso on Monday, also named the seven Mexicans who died, and who mostly came from states along the U.S.-Mexico border. Mexicos deputy foreign minister for North America, Jesus Seade, decried the shooting as xenophobic barbarism and called for an end to rhetoric that incites such acts.

(Reuters) - Mexicos attorney general is considering litigation alleging that the mass shooting at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas, in which six Mexicans were among the 20 people killed, was terrorism, the countrys foreign minister said on Sunday. Mexican foreign minister Marcelo Ebrard, gestures as he holds a news conference about the mass shooting in Texas in the U.S., in Mexico City, Mexico August 4, 2019. For Mexico, this individual is a terrorist, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said at a news conference, urging the United States to deliver a clear and forceful position against hate crimes. El Paso is a heavily Latino city that sits on the U.S.-Mexico border across from Ciudad Juarez, a major gathering point for migrants aiming to cross into the United States and others waiting out requests for asylum in the United States. Mexicos deputy foreign minister for North America, Jesus Seade, decried the shooting as xenophobic barbarism and called for an end to rhetoric that incites such acts.

The Mexican government is looking into taking legal action against the United States after six Mexican nationals were killed and seven others were injured in a mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, Secretary of Foreign Affairs Marcelo Ebrard said Sunday. Authorities also are investigating a racist, anti-immigrant document they believe the suspect posted on the online message board 8chan before the shooting. In a video posted to his official Twitter page, Ebrard said what happened in El Paso was "unacceptable" and that "the first judicial actions" the government will take will be in accordance with international law. "Mexico would like to express its utmost profound condemnation and rejection of this barbaric act where innocent Mexican men and women were killed," Ebrard said. The shooting at an El Paso shopping center left a total of 20 people dead and 26 injured.

FILE PHOTO: Mexico's Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard attends a news conference at the National Palace in Mexico City, Mexico July 22, 2019. REUTERS/Edgard GarridoMEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexicos Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said on Sunday that Mexico will take legal actions to protect its citizens in the United States, following a shooting in El Paso, Texas, that left 20 dead, including three Mexicans. The president has instructed me to ensure that Mexicos indignation translates into... efficient, prompt, expeditious and forceful legal actions for Mexico to take a role and demand that conditions are established that protect... Mexicans in the United States, Ebrard said in a video posted on Twitter. Ebrard said he would provide further details at a news conference on Sunday afternoon in Mexico City. He also said the number of Mexicans who were injured in the attack has risen to nine.

A police cordon is seen after a mass shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, U.S. August 3, 2019. I know El Paso, Texas. He added that the city sits directly across the border from Ciudad Juarez, which is a major gathering point for migrants aiming to cross into the United States. There is a fraternal coexistence between those who live in Ciudad Juarez and El Paso, he said. Six Mexicans were injured in the shooting, including a 10-year-old girl, said Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard on Twitter.

Copyright 2019 CNN(CNN) - Mexico has sharply reduced migration across its territory toward the United States, officials say, and recent polls suggest hardening local attitudes toward migrants who remain in the country. Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard announced Monday that Mexico had reduced northward migration by 36.2%. He credited the National Guard and a tightening of immigration enforcement for the change, all part of a 45-day trial to prove to the United States that measures to stem migration are working. Thousands of migrants are spending months in limbo in border towns near the United States, as they wait for asylum applications to be processed. Public opinion in Mexico is complex when it comes to the desperate people crossing their country in search of a better life.

Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and Mexico's Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard attend a news conference at the National Palace in Mexico City, Mexico July 22, 2019. REUTERS/Edgard GarridoMEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexicos Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said on Monday, the deadline for an agreement with the United States to reduce migration, that his U.S. counterpart Mike Pompeo did not mention in talks the previous day an earlier demand that Mexico become a safe third country. Ebrard added that the proposal, which would have made most asylum seekers apply for refuge in Mexico rather than the United States, was not discussed because Mexico was able to reduce migration as part of a deal struck in June that averted tariff threats.

The United States is seeking safe third country agreements with Mexico and Guatemala, but they have resisted. As a result, the new rule would force people to return to countries that are rife with danger and violence, the suit says. The Trump administration has been trying to curtail a surge in asylum-seekers who largely come impoverished Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. Despite the efforts, record numbers of Central Americans are reaching the United States this year, overwhelming immigration facilities. But administration officials have described the rule as a necessary measure due to an overwhelming number of fraudulent asylum claims.

REUTERS/Daniel BecerrilMEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said on Tuesday he will meet his U.S. counterpart Mike Pompeo in Mexico City at the weekend to discuss migration and trade, on the eve of a deadline set in a migration deal that removed threatened tariffs. He also denied that it would turn Mexico into a de-facto safe third country, under which Mexico would accept that asylum seekers passing through its territory should seek refuge there, not the United States. Under the June deal, Mexico agreed to start talks about becoming a safe third country if Washington deems its enforcement measures have not sufficiently lowered immigration flows. Safe third country status would require Mexican Congress approval. According to Mexicos foreign ministry, migrant apprehensions at the U.S. southern border fell 30% in June from the previous month.

FILE PHOTO - Mexico's Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard gestures during a news conference in Mexico City, Mexico, July 15, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos JassoMEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard will meet with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Mexico City, he said in a tweet on Tuesday. Ebrard said they will meet on Sunday to discuss migration, trade and a development plan for Central America.