PREVIEW - Illegal Immigration In Spotlight As Pompeo Visits Panama, Mexico - State Dept.

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th October, 2018) US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday will start a two-day trip to Mexico and Panama for talks with top officials on a broad range of regional issues, including illegal immigration and the crises in Venezuela and Nicaragua.

The secretary will arrive in Panama City on Thursday before heading on to Mexico City on Friday, State Department officials said.

Pompeo is expected to meet with several senior officials in Panama City, including President Juan Carlos Varela and Vice President and Foreign Minister Isabel de Sait Malo, State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert said.

In Mexico City, Pompeo will meet with President Enrique Pena Nieto, Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray Caso and Foreign Secretary-designate Marcelo Luis Ebrard Casaubon, Nauert said. He will also hold talks with members of the incoming government of President-elect Andres Manual Lopez Obrador, who will take office on December 1.

ILLEGAL MIGRATION AND BORDER SECURITY

Among the top issues that Pompeo is expected to address in both countries is the question of illegal migration, an issue of particular concern to the United States as a caravan of migrants heads toward the US border, senior State Department official said in a conference call with reporters on Wednesday.

The caravan, made up of more than 1,500 Hondurans, crossed into Guatemala on Wednesday en route toward the US border, where the migrants hope to gain asylum.

In a series of recent Twitter posts over the past few days, President Donald Trump has threatened to cut off aid to Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador if the countries do not stop the caravan from reaching the United States.

The issue will likely figure into Pompeo's discussions in both Panama and Mexico, the senior State Department official said.

"We're going to be discussing, I'm sure, a broad range of issues of which this will be a prominent one," the official said when asked whether the caravan would be a topic of discussion in Pompeo's talks.

The United States sees the issue of illegal migration as a shared challenge, the State Department official emphasized, adding that US officials are working closely with countries in the region to address the underlying economic, security and governance conditions that have driven illegal immigration to the United States, the official added.

Pompeo's talks will also touch on other border security issues, including drug and weapons trafficking and transnational crime, the official said.

CRISES IN VENEZUELA AND NICARAGUA

The secretary's talks with top officials are also expected to delve into the crises in Venezuela and Nicragua.

"We have been very clear that US policy is to seek a peaceful return to democracy and prosperity in Venezuela, and the crisis can only be resolved by the restoration of democratic governance, the rule of law, and respect for fundamental rights and freedoms," the senior State Department official said.

In Panama, Pompeo will thank the country's leaders for their vocal defense of democracy in both countries, the official said.

The topic is also likely to come up during discussions with members of the incoming Mexican government, the official added.

"I'm sure that the issue of Venezuela would come up because of the size and the effect of the crisis in the region, and we'll continue to have ongoing conversations with the incoming government about it," the official said.

Venezuela is currently in a deep economic crisis caused by the fall of oil prices and has been facing mass protests since last spring.

Turmoil erupted in Nicaragua in April when people took to the streets to protest unpopular social security reforms. This led to months of demonstrations, which saw some 300 people killed and 2,000 others injured.