Secretary of State Tony Blinken, Homeland Security chief Alejandro Mayorkas and White House homeland security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall are meeting today with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador in Mexico City. Blinken is preparing to discuss what his office has described as border security challenges and “unprecedented irregular migration in the Western Hemisphere.” Andrés Manuel López Obrador is expected to call again for the Biden administration to lift sanctions on Cuba and Venezuela, which AMLO says has driven an increase in migration. This comes as a caravan with over 6,000 migrants are heading toward the U.S.-Mexico border. Some participants in the caravan are holding banners that read “Exodus from Poverty.” Other caravan participants said they are fleeing violence at home. This is Jose Santos from Honduras.

Jose Santos: “I came here escaping from the MS-13 criminal gang. I worked as a security guard. MS-13 asked us for money, but we didn’t have any. They wanted our ammunition, but, as guards, we only received a limited amount of ammunition. They threatened to kill me, not once but three times. I was scared, so I decided to come to Mexico, hoping I’ll be allowed to go to the U.S.”

In related news, CNN is reporting more than 11,000 people seeking refuge in the United States are waiting in shelters and camps on the Mexican side of the border.