Top U.S. and Brazil diplomats discuss 'unprecedented' migration

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (R) meets with Brazilian Foreign Minister Carlos Franca (L) on the sidelines of the 76th UN General Assembly in New York, U.S. on September 21, 2021. Kena Betancur/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Brazilian counterpart Carlos Franca to discuss "unprecedented" regional migration and ways to collaborate to slow the number of migrants heading north, the State Department said on Tuesday.

The call between the senior diplomatic officials of the two largest economies in the Americas comes as a record number of Brazilians arrive at the southern U.S. border, part of a wave of people from Latin America fleeing a region hit badly by the COVID-19 pandemic.