Mexico to host summit to address migration crisis

By James Blears – Mexico City

Mexico's President, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has announced that the Presidents of Cuba, Honduras, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Guatemala, along with the Prime Minister of Haiti, are guests at the Migration Summit in Palenque City, located in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas.

The summit to be held on Sunday represents a significant leadership gathering of nations that are at the epicenter of the migration exodus from south to north.

Seeking solutions

President López Obrador has said the stated aim will be to examine, discuss, and work towards formulating solutions and policies to address the root causes of migration, which involves millions of people.

Migration in Latin America is primarily rooted in economic and law and order problems. Key priorities include job creation, stability, and addressing organized crime.

Hazardous trek

Each year, thousands of migrants from these and other countries attempt to cross Mexico.

Many of them vanish, falling victim to drug cartels who are also involved in human trafficking.

Those who are caught often find themselves forced to work for criminals, must pay a ransom, or face the grim outcome of being killed and their bodies discarded in clandestine graves.

Another perilous route that is gaining popularity is the Darien Gap, situated between Colombia and Panama.

The elusive dream for impoverished migrants is to reach the United States, which continues to fortify its borders against undocumented individuals in dire circumstances.