MEXICO CITY, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- Mexico's government and business sector on Thursday offered thousands of temporary jobs to migrants of caravans heading for the United States.
The jobs, targeting caravans of Central American migrants heading for the United States, are provided in Mexico's border maquiladoras, or assembly plants, whose products are mainly destined for the U.S. market.
"Today there are job vacancies available for both Mexicans and the foreigners who have entered the country in the past month, as long as they regularize their immigration situation," Mexican Interior Minister Alfonso Navarrete told a press conference.
Most of migrants are traveling with no documents.
The current arrangement entails formal jobs with benefits and training, he said.
According to him, interested migrants can attend job fairs being organized as of Thursday in cities along the caravans' route. Mobile information booths will be set up wherever migrants gather.
"These booths will be manned by personnel from the National Immigration Institute so migrants who want to apply for these jobs can begin the process of regularizing their status," said the minister.
Juan Pablo Castanon, president of the Economic Coordinating Council (CCE), Mexico's largest business confederation, said the council is coordinating some 7,000 to 10,000 job offers in the border region and central Mexico.
Thousands of migrants, mainly from Honduras, but also Guatemala and El Salvador, are part of at least three caravans that entered Mexico in mid-October in a bid to reach the U.S. border.
The United States has put enormous pressure on Mexico to stem the tide of migrants, and beefed up the border security with army troops.
This week, the first migrant caravan arrived in the Mexican border city of Tijuana, while the members of a second caravan took rest in Mexico City.
More than 2,000 migrants have decided to apply for asylum in Mexico and several hundred migrants agreed to be deported back to their countries.
