Mexico's foreign ministry said late on Saturday that it will allow a limited number of Central American migrants seeking asylum in the US to legally enter Mexico in order to minimize the number of people at US border stations.

The ministry said Mexican immigration authorities would evaluate who is allowed into Mexico on a case by case basis and said the measure will exclusively apply to people from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.

"We're evaluating the regular admission of some nationals from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala who are presented to the Mexican immigration authorities, in order to minimize crowding at US Border Patrol stations," the ministry said in a statement.

Fewer than 100 people per day will be allowed into Mexico, added the ministry.

"Minors, senior citizens, among others will not be accepted. Also, people from countries other than those mentioned, nor migrants previously in the custody of the US authorities will not be accepted," it added.

The US already sends non-Mexican asylum seekers to Mexico under a program known as the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), which was released in January 2019. 

The US Supreme Court allowed that program to remain in effect the week before last pending the outcome of a legal challenge.

Reuters