Trip included meetings with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and DEA to view a migrant processing facility, and one of the vehicle and pedestrian ports of entry between the two countries

Boston (February 21, 2017) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, traveled to Mexico as part of a congressional delegation last weekend to meet with members of the Mexican cabinet, Senate, and civil society. Senator Markey also visited the U.S.-Mexico border to assess security and counter-narcotics operations, as well as the apprehension, detention, and treatment of undocumented migrants crossing into the United States. Other members of the delegation included Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.), the Committee’s Ranking Member, and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.).

(PHOTO CAPTION 1: Customs and Border Protection agents with Senators Cardin, Merkley and Markey. PHOTO CAPTION 2: Senator Markey at the Bridge of the Americas Port of Entry, El Paso, U.S.-Mexico border, Sunday, February 19, 2017)

“Building a wall is not a comprehensive plan to address our nation's opioid crisis, nor does it represent the comprehensive immigration reform that will help put millions on a pathway to citizenship,” said Senator Markey. “President Trump’s divisive rhetoric only makes it harder to work with Mexico and our international partners to address these critical cross-border issues.”

In Mexico City on Saturday, the Senators first met with Secretary of the Economy Idelfonso Guajardo, where the discussion focused on economic and trade relations and the potential for reforms of the North American Free Trade Agreement. In particular, environmental and labor standards and focusing on policies that will help workers impacted by free trade were key parts of the conversation.

Attorney General Raul Cervantes Andrade hosted the Senators for a conversation about Mexico’s efforts to combat drug trafficking and improve security, as well as bilateral cooperation on extraditions. The conversation also focused heavily on the lethal synthetic drug fentanyl, which increasingly finds its way into heroin after an illicit path from China to Mexico to the United States.

(PHOTO CAPTION 1: Senators Merkley and Cardin, Secretary of Economy Ildefonso Guajardo, Senator Markey, and U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Roberta S. Jacobson. PHOTO CAPTION 2: Senator Markey, Mexico Attorney General Raul Cervantes, Senators Cardin and Merkley, and Ambassador Jacobson)

“Instead of building walls, we need to build bridges with Mexico to ensure we stop the deadly flow of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids that is devastating Massachusetts,” said Senator Markey. “I was honored to meet and talk with the men and women on the ground at the border who work every day to keep this country safe. I thank them for their service and pledge to work with them to get the resources they need to do their jobs.‎”

The Senators also met with their counterparts in the Mexican Senate: Gabriela Cuevas, Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee; Marcela Guerra, Chair of the North American Relations Committee; Adriana Davila, Chair of the Committee on Human Trafficking, and Juan Gerardo Flores Ramírez, member of the Foreign Relations Committee.