MEXICO CITY, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Mexico's Integral Development Plan (PDI) to curb the exodus of migrants from Central America is backed by several nations and international organizations, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said Thursday.
Germany, Spain, and Chile have expressed their support for the plan, as has the Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres.
"Mexico's government receives the show of support for the PDI with appreciation and commitment," the ministry said, noting the scheme aims "to prevent forced migration by addressing the structural causes" of the phenomenon.
Since late 2018, thousands of Central American migrants have been fleeing poverty and violent crime in Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador, forming successive caravans heading north to the U.S. border, where they hope to apply for asylum.
With the current anti-immigrant attitude held by the United States, many migrants end up staying in Mexico, which has been struggling to accommodate the influx.
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and his Salvadoran counterpart Nayib Bukele were to expand a PDI-related program later in the day at a ceremony in the border town of Tapachula in southeast Mexico.
The program, called "Sembrando Vidas" (Sowing Lives), provides financing for development projects to improve impoverished communities in El Salvador.
Federica Mogherini, the European Union's (EU) top diplomat, announced Thursday the EU was willing to support Mexico and the Central American countries in promoting regional development.
The PDI was devised by the United Nations' Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean at Mexico's request.
Since taking office in December, Lopez Obrador has insisted that the border security measures alone cannot prevent mass immigration.
However, Mexico was forced to bolster security at its southern border after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose punitive tariffs on Mexican imports unless there was a notable drop in immigration.
