FILE – President Joe Biden walks along a stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso Texas, Jan. 8, 2023. The Biden administration has requested 1,500 troops for the U.S.-Mexico border amid an expected migrant surge following the end of pandemic-era restrictions. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. and Mexican officials have agreed on new immigration policies meant to deter illegal border crossings. The officials are opening up other pathways ahead of an expected increase in migrants following the end of coronavirus pandemic restrictions. A U.S. homeland security adviser spent Tuesday meeting with Mexico’s president and other top officials, emerging with a five-point plan. The U.S. and Mexico share a 2,000-mile border. But Mexico had been notably absent from last week’s rollout of fresh border control efforts, including the creation of hubs outside the United States where migrants could apply to legally settle in the U.S., Spain or Canada. The first centers will open in Guatemala and Colombia.