U.S., Mexico Prepare for New Migrant Wave as Inflation Surges
- Honduras, El Salvador seeing fastest price increases in years
- Governments worry cost of living provides more reason to leave
Migrants seeking asylum wait to be taken into custody by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers near the U.S. and Mexico border fence in Yuma, Arizona.
Photographer: Nicolo Filippo Rosso/BloombergThe U.S. and Mexican governments are preparing for a surge in undocumented migrants heading for their border in the coming months after faster inflation in key countries in Central America added to economic hardship.
Officials from the administrations of Presidents Joe Biden and Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in recent days discussed their concern about the impact that rising food and energy prices will have on the region, according to people familiar with the talks, who asked not to be named without permission to speak publicly. Commodity prices globally have soared with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, hurting purchasing power and adding economic strain for developing nations.