The head of Mexico’s National Migration Institute (INM) , Tonatiuh Guillén López , resigned on Friday for “personal reasons”, interior ministry spokesman Hector Gandini said by telephone.
This is the third top government official to step down during López Obrador’s administration. The head of Mexico’s Social Security Institute (IMSS) , Germán Martínez , resigned last month citing budget cuts that he said would harm health services for the poor.
In the same week, Josefa González Blanco, head of Mexico’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) presented her resignation to the president after causing a delay to a commercial flight.
Earlier this month, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose 5% tariffs on Mexican goods. However, Mexican officials were able to sign a deal with U.S. counterparts to suspend the tariffs, agreeing to take stronger measures to stem the flow of migrants crossing the U.S. border.
On Friday morning, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador acknowledged that there were 68 crossing points in the Mexico-Guatemala border that had little to no protection, though he guaranteed that the Mexican government would work to reinforce the southern border.
Central American migrants were seen earlier in the week crossing the border in large numbers without any sort of restraint.
According to López Obrador, the current situation is a result of corruption within the National Migration Institute and customs operation centers. He reminded the press that more than 500 institute members had been dismissed from their posts.
“We are trying to put our house in order, but these things take time,” he added, confident that the National Guard could handle the “emergency” at the border.
The National Migration Institute informed earlier this week that 76 people of Cuban origin who had been staying in Mexico irregularly were deported back to their home country.
The operation was conducted in cooperation with the Cuban Consulate, in compliance with standard migration procedures.
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