Mexico seeks to curb 'abuse' of asylum system by migrants who do not plan to stay

FILE PHOTO: Migrants rest outside the Siglo XXI migrant detention center as they seek humanitarian visas to cross the country and reach the U.S., in Tapachula, Chiapas state, Mexico, January 11, 2023. REUTERS/Jacob Garcia

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's overwhelmed asylum agency is strengthening efforts to weed out high numbers of applicants who "abuse" the system while passing through Mexico to reach the United States, Mexico's top asylum official said on Monday.

Mexico has the world's third highest number of asylum applications after the United States and Germany, reflecting growing numbers of refugee seekers that have strained resources at the Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance (COMAR).