Mexico City, Sep 10 (IANS): Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has written a letter to his US counterpart Joe Biden raising the need for a new strategy to deal with undocumented migrants, according to the Foreign Ministry here.

The letter was delivered by Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard during a bilateral meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the White House on Thursday, prior to the resumption of the US-Mexico High Level Economic Dialogue after five years of suspension, the Ministry said in a statement.

In the letter, Lopez Obrador highlighted "the need for a new approach to the phenomenon of Central American migration", saying that he is "in favor of an approach that prioritises development and opportunities" in regions that are the source of mass migration.

The Ministry added that both sides "reaffirmed their willingness to strengthen cooperation on the main issues of bilateral relationship" in the meeting.

The Mexican delegation stressed the importance of moving toward reopening the US-Mexico border to benefit trade and productive activities, while protecting the health of people in both countries amid the Covid-19 pandemic, it said.

In June this year, the number of undocumented migrants reaching the US-Mexico border hit the highest level in more than 20 years.

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said it apprehended 180,034 migrants in May.

The number was up slightly from 178,854 in April and 172,000 in March.

It was the biggest monthly total since April 2000 with increasing numbers coming from outside Central America.

This includes countries like Ecuador, Venezuela, Cuba, Haiti and even some African nations.