Mexico's President to Propose Extension of Welfare Programs to Curb Migration

Mexico's President announced his plan to propose to U.S. President Joe Biden an extension of one of his welfare programs to Central America to curb migration and make migrants stay in their homeland countries.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador issued the statement on Sunday as the U.S. continues to experience a surge of migrants from Mexico and Central America crossing the border illegally.

It can be recalled that the Biden administration recently struck a deal with Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala to control the surge of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border.

The three countries have placed more troops on their borders to stop and discourage Central American migrants from fleeing their home countries to seek asylum in the United States.

However, some migrant advocates are not in favor of the international deal, arguing that migrants fleeing their homes are entitled to be protected.

Mexico's President on His Welfare Programs Proposal

In a video message from Palenque in southern Mexico, Lopez Obrador said he wanted to extend his project called "Sembrando Vida," which translates to "Sowing Life" in English, Reuters reported.

The Sembrando Vida program aims to provide work and support for the agricultural sector in Central America, Al Jazeera reported. Lopez Obrador noted that the welfare program would not force people to migrate and help the environment at the same time.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris recently talked with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei, and they both agreed to address the root causes of immigration in the United States. Biden tapped harris to lead the efforts of the White House in addressing border issues last month.

Mexico President's Sembrando Vida for Migrants

Mexico's Ministry of Welfare is in charge of the Sembrando Vida. In Mexico, the program reinforces or supports the agricultural areas in the country that need it the most.

The said program is extended among 19 states of Mexico including Duarango, Campeche, Colima, Puebla, Tabasco, and Sinaloa. Currently, the project supports locals who have about 2.5 hectares of land in rural areas available for the agroforestry project.

Apart from the financial aid that Mexico awards to the benefactors of the welfare program, experts in the field will also work with the locals to share and impart knowledge with each other as they work on agroforestry production.

Reuters noted that migrants from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras are driven by hunger and poverty as they attempt to cross the United States' borders.

Lopez Obrador noted that the program could create thousands of jobs across southern Mexico and the Central American nations.

He said that participants of the welfare program could also earn working visas for the U.S. after three years and eventually apply for U.S. citizenship after another three years. Lopez Obrador gave no further details.

According to an Associated Press report, more than 22,000 children were in U.S. government custody as of Thursday.

WATCH: Joe Biden Meets Mexican President Amid Migration Issues - From WION