On Thursday, Mexico officially announced through the government's official gazette that there will be new visa requirements imposed for visitors coming into the country from Venezuela.

According to the Mexican ministry, the visa requirement will officially start 15 days after the announcement was published in the gazette.

The new imposition is part of the country's efforts to minimize the increase of illegal immigrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. It is also placed as an attempt by Mexico to reduce the number of people from South and Central America trying to enter the U.S. illegally through Mexico, Reuters reported.

Before the new visa requirements were announced, Venezuelans did not need a visa to enter Mexico as tourists. Previously, Venezuelans can enter Mexico for free as tourists for a maximum of 6 months. Many of them have used this opportunity to escape their homeland, which has been suffering from an economic crisis for years.

The government also suggested that the increasing demand to leave the country also increases the exploitation of criminal gangs and people smugglers.

Tougher Entry Requirements for Venezuelans Imposed Due to U.S. Requests

In the past, the U.S. has repeatedly urged Mexico to help reduce the number of illegal immigrants coming to the country by accessing the U.S.-Mexico border. U.S. President Joe Biden has faced major challenges regarding the rise in the number of illegal immigrants passing through Mexico.

On December 17, the Mexican ministry first announced that they were contemplating the imposition of stricter visa requirements for Venezuelans as a response to the requests of the Biden administration.

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Venezuelans Use Mexico as Portal to the U.S.

According to a document published by the Mexican ministry, they detected a substantial increase in the number of Venezuelans using Mexico as a portal to the U.S., declaring false motives for their arrival.

They also added that the jump of irregular transit of Venezuelans to a "third country" from Mexico has reached over 1,000% compared to the past five years. They also added that the trend continues to increase.

"The growing trend in the migratory flow of (Venezuelan) nationals ... in irregular transit to a third country stands out, marking an increase of more than 1,000% compared to the same period in the previous five years," the Mexican ministry stated.

An overwhelming majority of the migrants passing through Mexico have the U.S. as their ultimate destination causing problems at the border.

The visa requirement imposed on Venezuelans by Mexico came after the country gave the same directive to Brazilians. Also, in September, the visa exemptions given to Ecuadorians were suspended for six months following an increase of migrants crossing to the U.S.

READ MORE: Six More Bodies Found Hanging in Mexico as Mexican Drug Cartels Battle for Territory

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Jess Smith

WATCH: Given the increase in migrants in the country, Mexico will request a visa from Venezuelans December 17 - Grupo Fórmula