Mexico's president on Friday attacked the governor of Texas' latest steps to crack down on unauthorised migration, urging people of Mexican origin in the US not to vote for "anti-immigrant" candidates.
On Thursday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said he had authorised the National Guard and state officials to "apprehend" migrants and transport them to ports of entry on the border with Mexico.
President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said the "immoral" policy was intended to attract support before Texas' November election, in which Mr Abbott, a Republican, is running for re-election.
"If there's a candidate from a party that mistreats immigrants and Mexicans, we're going to ask our countrymen there that they don't vote for that candidate or party," Mr Lopez Obrador told reporters at a morning news conference.
Border patrol in the US falls under federal jurisdiction, and Mr Abbott's order is the latest in a showdown with Democratic President Joe Biden's administration over migration.
Mr Abbott's office, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Customs and Border Protection, which the DHS oversees, did not respond to requests for comment on Mr Abbott's announcement. The US National Guard referred questions to the Texas National Guard, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Mr Lopez Obrador, who will travel to the US to meet Mr Biden on Tuesday, said Mr Abbott was overstepping his authority and expressed the view that he was "absolutely sure" the US president would not approve of the Texan policy.
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Asylum-seeking migrant families disembark from an inflatable raft after crossing the Rio Grande into the US from Mexico, in Roma, Texas. Reuters -
Asylum-seeking migrant families leave a raft. Reuters -
Gabby Fajardo sits in the Ambassador Jesus Christ shelter in Tijuana, Mexico, after being expelled from the US. Photo courtesy of Felicia Rangel-Samponaro -
Gabby Fajardo and 5-year-old son Gerard stand outside the Ambassador Jesus Christ shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. Photo courtesy of Felicia Rangel-Samponaro -
Sherry, 17, holds one-year-old son Ian as she leads a line of unaccompanied minors after crossing the Rio Grande in La Joya, Texas. Reuters -
Clothes hang to dry outside the Ambassador Jesus Christ shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. There are currently 1,200 migrants staying at the shelter. Photo courtesy of Felicia Rangel-Samponaro -
Mats set up on the ground serve as makeshift beds for migrants at the Ambassador Jesus Christ shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. Photo courtesy of Felicia Rangel-Samponaro -
A woman and child sit on a bed inside the Ambassador Jesus Christ Shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. The shelter is currently housing 1,200 migrants. Photo courtesy of Felicia Rangel-Samponaro -
A child plays on the floor of the Ambassador Jesus Christ shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. Photo courtesy of Felicia Rangel-Samponaro
Undocumented immigration at the US-Mexico border has been an increasingly politicised issue in bilateral relations, particularly among Republicans since former president Donald Trump's 2015-2016 successful election campaign.
Mr Trump caused widespread outrage in Mexico by describing migrants crossing the border as rapists and drug dealers, and Mexican officials are wary about the prospect of advances made by the Republicans in November's midterm elections.
San Antonio migrant deaths: 51 people found dead in back of abandoned lorry in Texas
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Andrei Renteria holds his courtroom sketch, where Homero Zamorano Jr, the suspected driver of a lorry packed with dozens of migrants who died in blazing heat during a Texas smuggling attempt, attends a court hearing in San Antonio. Reuters -
Yolanda Olivares is comforted by a relative during a Mass for the migrants who died in the lorry. Ms Olivares believes her sons Jair, 19, Yovani, 16, and her nephew Misael, 16, are among the migrants who died in the stifling lorry. Reuters -
People gather for a special Mass for the migrants in San Antonio. Reuters -
A relative of Wilmer Tulul, 14, who was among the migrants who died in the lorry, at the family's home in Tzucubal village in Guatemala. AFP -
Another relative of Wilmer cries at his home in Guatemala. AFP -
Wilmer, seen here on the mobile phone of a relative, was not the only teenager to die in the back of the lorry. Pascual Melvin Guachiac and his cousin Wilmer, both 13, also lost their lives after they suffocated in the stifling heat. AFP -
Alfonso holds a picture of Pascual. Reuters -
A memorial set up for the migrants in San Antonio. Reuters -
Karen Caballero, mother of half-siblings Fernando Jose Redondo and Alejandro Miguel Andino, reacts during an interview after learning that her sons had died in the back of the lorry. Reuters -
Christine and Michael Ybarra embrace at the scene where dozens of people were found dead inside a lorry in San Antonio, Texas. Reuters -
At least 50 people believed to be migrant workers were found dead inside the vehicle. More than a dozen victims were found alive, suffering from heat stroke, and were taken to local hospitals. Getty Images / AFP -
Police and officials man a roadblock near a lorry on the side of the road leading to the location where about 50 migrants were reportedly found dead. EPA -
At least 16 people were found alive. EPA -
Law enforcement officers work at the deadly scene in San Antonio. Reuters -
All the victims are believed to be migrants who were trying to enter the US. Reuters -
Police guard the scene where dozens of people were found dead. AP -
San Antonio Police Chief William McManus addresses members of the media at the scene. Reuters -
San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg addresses the media at the scene where people were found dead inside a lorry. Reuters -
San Antonio Fire Department Chief Charles Hood addresses members of the media. Reuters -
Community members wait on the side of the road at the scene. Reuters -
A woman visits at the scene where the people were found. Reuters -
Rose Perez holds on to her mother, Scarlet Chavez, on the edges of the grim scene. Reuters -
Law enforcement officers at the deadly scene. Reuters -
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said that at least 22 Mexicans are among the roughly 50 migrants who were found. EPA -
Local priests from the San Antonio Archdiocese come to the deadly scene in San Antonio, Texas. AFP -
The lorry was abandoned on the roadside on the outskirts of San Antonio. AFP -
Sixteen people were taken to hospital for treatment. AFP -
Local priests from the San Antonio Archdiocese stand near the scene. AFP -
Onlookers gather at the scene. Reuters -
Police patrol the area where the migrants were found. Reuters
