During his first official visit to Mexico, IOM Director General,
Mr. William Lacy Swing, will meet senior officials and travel to
the country's southern border to visit several busy border crossing
points.

During the three-day visit starting Monday, Mr. Swing will meet
senior officials of the ministries of External Relations and
Labour, the Minister of Interior, Mr. Fernando Gomez Mont, and the
head of Mexico's National Institute for Migration (INM),
Commissioner Cecilia Romero.

The Director General will travel to Tapachula to visit the
country's southern border, an area transited by tens of thousands
of Central American migrants each year as they make their way north
to the United States.

At the southern border Mr. Swing will visit several border
crossing points, a temporary workers' documentation centre and will
officially inaugurate the IOM office in Tapachula.

Mr. Swing will also participate in the signing of a cooperation
agreement between IOM and the Government of Chiapas, meet with the
Governor of the southern State of Chiapas, Mr. Juan Sabines
Guerrero and meet with members of the Grupo Beta, a migrant
protection group.

IOM's office in Mexico, established in March 2005, carries out
activities related to the promotion of migrants rights, with a
focus on minors and women; combating trafficking in persons and
providing assistance to its victims; and assisting the Government
with voluntary returns of extra-regional migrants. 

IOM also has a wide range of activities in the State of Chiapas,
working in close cooperation with the state government to improve
migrant health, as well as the condition of temporary migrant
workers.  Mexico became a Member State of IOM in July
2002. 

For more information please contact:

Juan Artola

IOM Mexico

Tel: + 525 5 55 36 39 54

E-mail: "mailto:jartola@iom.int">jartola@iom.int