Mexico and the United States sign a memorandum of understanding on child labor and migration

Mexico City, January 17 (EFE).- Mexico and the United States signed two memoranda of understanding this Tuesday in Mexico City, one on labor mobility and the other on the protection of minors in situations of mobility between the two countries.

This, expressed the United States Ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar, and the Mexican Ambassador to the United States, Esteban Moctezuma, is one of the first results of the agreements reached earlier between Presidents Joe Biden and Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who met. Last week in the capital of Mexico.

“What is being done today with the signing of these agreements is something historic that comes from years of work,” Salazar said at a news conference.

He also said that the agreements signed today are part of the work between the two countries “for the benefit of the people of Mexico and the United States.”

The memorandums, both ambassadors agreed, reflect the common goal that migration is increasingly humane, respectful of people’s rights, and that it is also safe and orderly.

Regarding the memorandum on labor mobility, Moctezuma recalled that the Hispanic population represents 18% of the entire workforce in the United States, so it is “extremely important” for both countries to reach an agreement.

Roberto Velasco, head of the North American division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE), explained that in 2022, about 365,000 Mexicans arrived in the neighboring country with visas to work temporarily, and said that they estimate that this number will increase this year. 400,000.

Regarding the document related to the migration of unaccompanied minors, the Mexican ambassador to the United States considered that it has a very humanistic vision and is focused on respecting human rights.

They clarified that the signing of this day is only the beginning of the road, but at the same time something historic, confirming the will of the Biden government and López Obrador to establish precedents that strengthen the close relationship and coordination between the two countries.