Remittances increase/Mexican migrants to be vaccinated

Support program for migrants. President López Obrador reported the highlights of the program to support migrants that returned to the country to visit their families. “It was an exceptional year for sending remittances. In 2020, the migrants increase the number of remittances sent to Mexico, despite how difficult was for them to send money due to the pandemic. Migrants acted as heroes when their families needed them", López Obrador said. The president explained that in 2019, Mexico received US$39.4 billion of remittances and in 2020, it increased to US$40.5 billion dollars, which shows a growth of 11.3 percent.

Fake documents concerning the blackout. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said that the fake document that supposedly explained the causes of the blackout on Dec. 28 was a mistake. “It is necessary to recognize that a mistake was made, in which an incident was invented. Because of this, CFE must continue to carry out the investigation to find out the truth behind the incident,” the president said. López Obrador explained that in a democracy, the authorities must have the capacity to rectify and tell the truth. Therefore, explanations about the fake document must be clarified to the general public. Last week, CFE presented a document that reported a fire in Tamaulipas, which allegedly caused the blackout on Monday. However, Head of Civil Protection of Tamaulipas Pedro Granados said that the signature on the document is false and that it does not have official stamps.

The case of Emilio Lozoya. AMLO said that the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) should report on the  progress of the case regarding former Director of PEMEX Emilio Lozoya. "I am sure that the prosecution will respond without having to set deadlines because they have their times, rhythms and they must carry out a deep investigation; however, I agree that it is time for us to be informed," the president said. Last year, Emilio Lozoya was linked to several crimes, such as operating with resources of illicit origin, criminal association and bribery in the Odebretch case, as well as money laundering in the case of Agronitrogenados. Lozoya remains at home awaiting the FGR’s decision concerning its two criminal proceedings.

Political asylum for Julian Assange. The president explained that the Mexican government is following the trial of the founder of Wikileaks, Julian Assange, in the UK. "We already proposed political asylum and now we are waiting for the process to be concluded; anyway, we are following it, and we are preparing in case the offer is accepted,” López Obrador said. Recently, the president offered political asylum to Assange and explained that his extradition to the US has not been authorized, which he called a triumph for justice.

Doctors from private hospitals will be vaccinated. The president reported that doctors in private hospitals who attend COVID-19 patients are being integrated into the list to receive the vaccine. “Our commitment is to vaccinate all doctors, including the private sector. We are talking to associations to help us register and vaccinate them. In general, there are fewer private doctors than public doctors so we believe their vaccination will be easier and faster," López Obrador said.

Vaccines for Mexican migrants in the US. López Obrador announced that he will request the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) to administer the COVID-19 vaccine to all Mexican migrants in the US. "I believe in justice, humanism and in good ethics, that is why everyone should be vaccinated. We will make arrangements to protect their right to be vaccinated.”

Click HERE for full transcript in Spanish