Officials from both the United States and Mexico met last Friday to discuss immigration reform and border security between the two nations. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has stated that he has many goals he wants to achieve with the US Government, most importantly investment in poor countries in Central America to help address the root causes of migration. An anonymous source within the US added that they also wish to slow down human trafficking cases, which target the most vulnerable members of society. Other topics reportedly included border cities, extraditions from the US to Mexico, and the flow of firearms and drugs between the two countries.
Source: Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/mexico-and-us-prepare-for-security-talks/2021/10/07/325b6e8a-2787-11ec-8739-5cb6aba30a30_story.html

Governor Kathy Hochul of New York has signed a law into the state that will prosecute those who attempt to blackmail or extort undocumented immigrants by revealing their legal status. The law is meant to protect vulnerable immigrant populations from threats of deportation used to manipulate or exploit them. Similar laws already exist in the states of California, Colorado, Maryland, and Virginia.
Source: Spectrum News
https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/central-ny/ny-state-of-politics/2021/10/11/new-law-criminalizes-threats-to-undocumented-immigrants

Immigration advocates are pushing the Biden administration to uphold promises made during the 2020 campaign year to increase the amount of Visas given, and are becoming increasingly frustrated that Visa numbers are instead dropping sharply. Over 200,000 Visas will expire by the end of the fiscal year, and advocates state that the lack of action by Congress is extremely irresponsible, especially considering that these Visas were already approved and simply need to be granted to applicants. Republican lawmakers are pushing to keep a Trump-era focus on employment-based Visas over those intended to reunite families. Republicans also seem focused on those currently outside the US seeking entry, while Democrats argue that federal efforts should be on helping those undocumented immigrants already settled into the US.
Source: The Hill
https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/576021-advocates-frustrated-by-shrinking-legal-migration-under-biden?rl=1

Governor Greg Abbott of Texas is appealing a decision by the Biden administration to deny FEMA assistance in dealing with the issue of increased numbers of migrants at the border between the US and Mexico. Governor Abbott has been heavily criticized for his state's treatment of refugees, specifically the Haitian refugee camp that formed under a bridge in Texas last month; images have shown huge lines of vehicles forming a 'steel wall' to keep out migrants, and border agents on horseback running down refugees. Abbott claims that the financial assistance from the federal government is necessary to deal with the 'border crisis', and that Texas is "doing Biden's job for him".
Source: The Hill
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/575830-abbott-appeals-denial-of-federal-emergency-declaration-at-the-border?rl=1