Mexico is cooperating with the United States so there is no chaos or violence on their shared border as U.S. COVID-19 restrictions - known as Title 42 - come to an end, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Thursday.
The restrictions, which have blocked hundreds of thousands of migrants caught at the U.S.-Mexico border from seeking asylum since 2020, are set to end Thursday evening, leading to an expected jump in the number of migrants arriving at the border.
Lopez Obrador added authorities were working in the southeastern region to "protect" migrants.
In response to a question at his regular press conference about National Guard forces sent to Mexico's southern border, Lopez Obrador said Mexico had taken the decision to do so and that it had not been agreed upon with U.S. President Joe Biden.
Lopez Obrador also urged Biden to work on agreements with Cuba, Venezuela and other countries so that their citizens do not need to migrate. He has long pushed for more U.S. investment in the region, particularly in Central America.
(This story has been corrected to say authorities are working in southeastern region, not southwestern, in paragraph 3)
(Reporting by Kylie Madry; Editing by Anthony Esposito and Brendan O'Boyle)
