Mexico faces a migrant crisis, experts warn

Mexico and neighboring Central American countries face a permanent humanitarian crisis due to immigration flows, said Ardelio Vargas Fosado, commissioner of the National Migration Institute (INM).

Mexico deports almost the same number of migrants as the United States repatriates to Mexico. In 2015 the Obama administration deported 205,884 Mexicans, while Mexico sent 202,257 foreigners back to their countries, mainly Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.

This year the INM expects to take the same number of foreigners before Mexican immigration authorities. Among them, children and teenagers are considered the most vulnerable group. In 2015 37,398 minors were taken before immigration authorities; 18,772 of them traveled unaccompanied.

He added that children as young as 3 and 5 have been found traveling alone or accompanied by someone who is not their relative or by a group of migrants.

Vargas rejected that the U.S. government tells Mexico how to curb migration and added that migration is a result of violence, poverty, lack of job opportunities and drought.

He also said that migrants pay between 5,000 and 8,000 dollars to human smugglers.