Mexico requires visas for Venezuelans in migrant crackdown

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico will begin requiring visas for Venezuelans starting Jan. 21, after a surge in the number of migrants trying to reach the U.S. border. The Interior Department said Thursday that the decision was based on a tenfold increase in the number of Venezuelan citizens arriving in Mexico seeking to travel “in an irregular manner to a third country,” a clear reference to the United States. On Dec. 11, Mexico suspended a 17-year-old program that had allowed Brazilian citizens to enter without a visa. The move came after Mexico detected an uptick in Brazilian migrants traveling to Mexico in hopes of reaching the United States.