Murphy Woodhouse/KJZZ

Motorists wait to cross at the Dennis DeConcini Port of Entry in Nogales, Sonora, in February 2019. Since the U.S. implemented restrictions at the border on March, 20, 2020, fewer people have been crossing.

Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, or AMLO as he is widely known, says longstanding border restrictions could be loosened soon.

“The opening of the borders is going to come soon,” he said at his daily press conference Friday, after mentioning that he would soon be meeting with U.S, Vice President Kamala Harris to discuss immigration matters.

Since March 2020, northbound restrictions on so-called nonessential trips have prevented many Mexicans from crossing into the United States, and crossings have plummeted. They were imposed to slow the spread of the coronavirus, though U.S. citizens have rarely faced southbound restrictions, and their return trips are considered essential by U.S. rules.