North American migration and enforcement dynamics

Diplomatic and legal efforts regarding migration and border enforcement continue to show divergent approaches between North American nations. In Guatemala, Attorney General Gabriel García Luna has engaged in meetings with U.S. officials to strengthen bilateral cooperation on migration law enforcement and human trafficking. This cooperation has expanded through high-level meetings between Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo and a delegation of federal prosecutors from nine U.S. districts. These discussions aim to intensify joint investigations, information exchange, and extradition processes to combat drug trafficking, gang activity, and the financing of criminal organizations. U.S. Chargé d'Affaires Jorgan Andrews noted that the two nations recorded 34 extraditions last year and expect to exceed that number in 2026.

Conversely, in Mexico, the Migrant Attention Commission in Guanajuato is seeking to increase protections for migrants. The commission has approved consultation projects for children and persons with disabilities to inform reforms to the state’s Migrant Protection and Care Law, focusing on gender violence prevention and substantive equality. The commission is also urging the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs to request that U.S. authorities refrain from using electric shock devices, such as ‘Trax gloves,’ during ICE enforcement operations, a practice they are considering reporting to the United Nations Committee against Torture. Guanajuato legislator Yesenia Rojas Cervantes noted that enforcement policies have contributed to the deaths of at least three migrants from the state in 2026.

In the United States, 34 California cities, including Los Angeles and Orange County, have declared they will not assist ICE in anti-migrant operations following increases in federal enforcement funding.