Mexico City, Mexico October 27, 2021— Ambassador Salazar traveled this week to the U.S.-Mexico border, spending time in Matamoros and Brownsville; at Border Patrol’s Donna Facility near McAllen; on the waters of the Rio Grande; on the World Trade Bridge in Nuevo Laredo-Laredo; and in both Del Rio and Acuña. In that regard he made this statement:
“This week I witnessed firsthand the enormity of the challenge Border Patrol faces and the perils migrants encounter.
“Everyone should understand that the U.S.-Mexico border is closed to unlawful entry. Persons attempting to enter the United States unlawfully will be detained. The United States and Mexico are committed to returning migrants who unlawfully enter to their country of origin.
“The U.S. and Mexico are working together to investigate and prosecute the transnational criminal human trafficking syndicates. The coyotes are criminals and must be stopped and brought to justice. They victimize migrants by luring them to dangerous trails northward to the border.”