Yet another surprising move from the Mexican government on improving U.S. border security popped up yesterday. In fact, it was so shocking to CNN’s Nick Valencia that he initially tweeted this comment but later apparently deleted it. (See edit below.)

UPDATE: (Jazz) The original column indicated that Valencia had deleted that tweet. When I first attempted to view it through a link provided it showed up as “Tweet unavailable,” but the tweet was not deleted. It’s still available here. The rest of the original article has been amended accordingly.

I have never seen this kind of cooperation from Mexico before in terms of immigration. — Nick Valencia (@CNNValencia) June 24, 2019

A previous tweet conveyed basically the same message.

BREAKING- Mexico has deployed almost 15,000 troops to the US-Mexico border to curve migration flow. An additional ~2,000 National Guard elements have also been deployed across the country’s southern border with Guatemala & Belize.: MX Secretary of Defense Luis Sandoval #CNN — Nick Valencia (@CNNValencia) June 24, 2019

So what had Valencia so excited? (Or perhaps concerned?) It was the news being reported on his own network that Mexico had suddenly sent upwards of 15,000 of their troops to their northern border in an effort to slow the flow of illegal aliens reaching the United States.

Mexico has deployed almost 15,000 troops to the US-Mexico border, according to the country’s Secretary of Defense Luis Sandoval. “In the northern part of the country, we have deployed a total of almost 15,000 troops composed of National Guard elements and military units,” Sandoval announced today in Cancun. Approximately 2,000 National Guard members have already been deployed to Mexico’s southern border with Belize and Guatemala, he noted, adding to the 4,500 troops already spread across the area. Many migrants begin their journey in Central America and even further south, passing through Mexico on their way toward the United States.

So what precisely is Mexico up to? That’s a lot of troops to throw at the border and they have a broader range of options available to them in terms of stopping Central American migrants heading for America. And it’s not just the physical reality of migrants already in Mexico facing arrest and deportation. More important are the stories they will bring back home with them to Honduras, Guatemala and beyond. Mexico is no longer an open country where you can (mostly) pass through freely on your way to the United States, assuming you can avoid the drug cartels. The government is deploying troops to stop you. Maybe it’s not worth the trip without taking all the proper, legal steps.

If you want to help the deserving people hoping to flee the violence and terrible conditions in their home countries, one excellent way would be to invest in personnel and facilities allowing them to more easily apply for asylum and/or legal resident alien status from their home country. That way, legitimate claims can be identified in advance and the proper documentation issued. With those papers in hand, they can legally and at least somewhat more safely travel to the United States, present their paperwork at the border and be welcomed in. Those seeking to crash through the old fashioned way will need to deal with Mexico’s federal troops, in addition to the gangs and cartels.

This doesn’t solve the entire problem, of course. We have plenty more work to do on our side to sets things to rights at the southern border. But this cooperation from Mexico is a welcome sight indeed.