MEXICO CITY — Mexico agreed Monday to deport Cubans who sneak illegally through Mexican territory to reach the U.S., a step toward cutting off an increasingly violent and heavily used human trafficking route.
The agreement signed by Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque and Mexican Foreign Secretary Patricia Espinosa also criticized U.S. policy that generally allows Cubans who reach U.S. territory to stay, while turning back most caught at sea.
Cuban migrants in recent years have increasingly headed for Mexico — often to the coast near Cancún — then overland to Texas because it has become so hard to dodge the U.S. Coast Guard and reach Florida to qualify for U.S. residency.
The Department of Homeland Security said 11,126 used the Mexico route last year, compared with 1,055 who landed in the Miami area.
Before Monday, Mexico rarely sent back Cubans who entered the country illegally. Many were held for a time, then were given 30-day transit visas to continue to Texas, where Cubans present only identity documents and undergo medical and background checks before being welcomed to America.
Under the agreement, Mexico agreed to deport Cubans found illegally in Mexico, both those who arrive by boat and those who come up through Central America.
Mexico has grown increasingly frustrated with the Cuban migration, which often involves ruthless human-trafficking gangs.
