AMLO Casts Sembrando Vida Program as Migration Alternative

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador confirmed on Sunday that he aims to share with his US counterpart Joe Biden the plan to extend the Sembrando Vida program to Central America. The initiative focuses on creating employment and protecting the environment within the agricultural sector.

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"What I want to propose is that the program Sembrando Vida be implemented in Central America," Lopez Obrador said. "So people aren’t forced to migrate, and it helps the environment,"  he added.

The plans come ahead of the Biden-led virtual summit on climate change on April 22 and 23. The Mexican president will propose the alternative of a regional agreement that gives work visas and eventually U.S. citizenship to migrants who participate in Sembrando Vida. The initiative would help organize the migratory flow.

"Well, we could agree, say let's see: we support you to plant your plot, coffee, cocoa, we support you for three years, but after three years, once you have your crop, you automatically have the right to a work visa for six months. You go to the United States for six months and return to your hometown, and after three years of having a work visa, with good behavior, you already have the right to apply for your U.S. citizenship," Obrador remarked.