U.S. ramps up Mexico asylum returns, Trump confirms 'safe third country' plan

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks about healthcare coverage options for small businesses and workers during an event in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, U.S., June 14, 2019. REUTERS/Leah Millis

MEXICO CITY/EL PASO, Texas (Reuters) - The United States has doubled the number of asylum seekers it sends back each day to Mexico from El Paso, Texas, a Mexican immigration official said on Friday, in the first sign of action following a deal struck to avert U.S. tariffs last week.

Luis Carlos Cano, a spokesman for Mexico's national immigration agency in Ciudad Juarez, across the border from El Paso, said starting Thursday some 200 asylum seekers per day were being sent back, up from 100 previously.