Why did Mexico decide to reimpose visas for Peruvians? Statistics behind the conflict

(CNN Spanish) – Starting April 20, Peruvian citizens will need visas to enter Mexico for tourism and business, the Mexican Foreign Ministry announced, citing government concerns about the growing flow of irregular migrants entering the country.

In response, Peru announced that it would demand the same in the application of the “principle of reciprocity”.

What are the arguments of the Mexican authorities, and what are the statistics behind the debate? Here we explain them to you.

In November 2012, Mexican authorities They removed the requirement Visa for Peruvians to travel without authorization to undertake gainful activities to facilitate people and trade. This includes tourists, athletes, business or medical travelers, among others.

Among the reasons for the reinstatement of visas on Peruvian citizens, Mexico's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) He points “Substantial increase of Peruvian nationals entering the national territory under the aforementioned decision (visa waiver) except for activities permitted by the condition of visitor stay.”

He says the situation is reflected in immigration filters with the identification of people who “do not fit the profile of a genuine visitor or tourist”.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this increases the “likelihood of a significant number of people abusing visa suppression”.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not provide details on the number of Peruvian nationals who entered Mexico and those who stayed in the country irregularly or carried out activities other than those permitted as visitors. CNN has reached out to the State Department for information on the matter, but has yet to receive a response.

numbers

Information The Immigration Policy, Registration and Identification of Persons of the Ministry of the Interior indicates that from November 2012 to January 2024, 2,216,475 Peruvian nationals entered by air were registered.

In the statistics of aerial entries of foreigners, Peru is the tenth country with the highest number of citizens entering Mexico behind Latin American countries such as Colombia (5,397,685), Argentina (3,536,151) and Brazil (3,370 .439).

At the end of 2023, Peru was the eighth country sending foreigners to Mexico with 293,668 people, 7.3% less than in 2022 when 316,655 Peruvian citizens entered the plane.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs details that this is a temporary measure and will work in joint measures with the Peruvian government to guarantee safe, orderly and regular migration flows, which will allow the removal of the visa requirement for the nationals “in due course”. Country.

Peru's Foreign Ministry regretted Mexico's decision, saying it “undermines efforts to improve bilateral relations and undermines the programmatic responsibilities assumed in the Pacific Alliance to facilitate the free movement of people between the two countries.”

Relations between Mexico and Peru

The two countries' actions come against the backdrop of a standoff between President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and his Peruvian counterpart, Tina Polwart.

Relations began to deteriorate after Castillo attempted to illegally dissolve Congress in preparation for a vacancy motion against the president, and when Bolvarde assumed the presidency as constitutional heir.

López Obrador has expressed his support for Castillo on several occasions and his family has been granted political asylum in Mexico. The President has described Tina Polwart's government as “hypocritical”. She, for her part, has described Tabasco as “ignorant.”

After disagreements in 2022, Peru ordered the expulsion of the Mexican ambassador and declared him “persona non grata”. In May 2023, the Foreign Relations Commission of the Peruvian Congress declared López Obrador “persona non grata”, who responded that “it is a mark of pride for those who act like that to declare it non grata”.