Ten of thousands of Americans living illegally in Mexico

World Today

While the U.S. ratchets up pressure on illegal immigrants, more Americans are overstaying their visas and living illegally in Mexico. But unlike the U.S., Mexican authorities aren’t doing anything about it.

CGTN’s Martin Markovits reports.

U.S. born citizens are the biggest immigrant group in Mexico.

According to the Mexican government, nearly 20,000 Americans received temporary and permanent residency in 2016.

But the number of Americans living in Mexico is probably much higher.

The U.S State Department estimates one million Americans currently live in Mexico, and a majority are living illegally.

Mexico automatically gives foreign tourists a six-month period to stay in the country, but if they want to stay longer they have to apply for resident visas.

But because the process can be complicated and time-consuming, many foreigners continue to stay in the country even after their visas expire.

Instead of targeting Americans, the Mexican government has taken a hard stand against illegal immigrants from Central America.

But with U.S. President Donald Trump’s tough stance against Mexico, it is still unclear if Mexican authorities will crack down on illegal immigrants from the United States.