Managing Irregularized Migration in Mexico: Rhetoric of a Renewed Approach

Abstract

What instruments of migration control is the current Mexican administration employing? Do these differ from those of past administrations? Past administrations have applied policies to stem the entrance and stay of irregularized migrants; however, president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (2018-2024) stated that his administration would provide jobs to migrants and respect their human rights. For that, his government designed a New Migration Policy. Drawing on secondary qualitative data, policy analysis, reports, and statistical data, this paper examines five actions the ongoing Mexican administration has performed to manage irregularized migration, and evaluates if the strategies correspond with the principles of the New Migration Policy. Findings show that the Mexican government has used new and long-standing bordering practices to contain irregularized migration, contrasting with the discourse of respect to migrants’ human rights. The actions performed have gone from “permissive” to repressive as the pressure from the US and the influx of migrants increased.