the Mexican president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO)he asked his American counterpart this Monday in Washington DC Joe Biden to reject the “status quo” on the border, but also praised a relationship with the United States despite high-profile political disagreements.
The Mexican president is in a official visit two days to the United States, after his refusal to attend the last Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles.
In a long comment at the beginning of the meetings with President Biden, López Obrador referred to the politics of the New Deal of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and rebuked conservatives.
He also urged that the United States and Mexico “should close ranks to help each other” amid rising inflation and border challenges, brutally underlined by the 53 migrants who died last month after being abandoned in a truck trailer in a secondary highway in San Antonio; Texas.
Although he has not shied away from US criticism in the past, AMLO this time struck a positive tone with his US counterpart, praising Vice President Kamala Harris.
Biden was similarly conciliatory, saying, “We see Mexico as an equal partner” and downplaying differences of opinion on politics with López Obrador: “You and I have a strong and productive relationship and I would say a partnership.”
This statement contrasted significantly with last month, when López Obrador rejected Biden’s invitation to the Summit of the Americas after unsuccessfully urging the United States to include the leaders of Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela in the meeting.
The Mexican president also described Washington’s support for Ukraine in its war with Russia as “a gross mistake” and criticized the United States for more quickly delivering military financing to the European country than financial aid to Central America.
Speaking of migrant deaths in Texas, which included people from Mexico and Central America, Biden said “we know we have to face these challenges together.”
The Democratic president emphasized that his country and Mexico agree on the need to increase opportunities for legal migration, especially since more workers can help alleviate the labor shortage in the United States and potentially offset the increase in prices.
“It’s a proven strategy that drives economic growth and reduces irregular migration,” Biden said.
Immigration has been a political flashpoint for Biden, as Republicans have pointed to the growing number of people from Mexico and Central America crossing the U.S. southern border illegally, while criticizing the White House and congressional Democrats for failing to do so. more to stem the flow of migrants. López Obrador acknowledged those criticisms but said the situation on the border will require solutions, not just politics.
“The way out is not through conservatism. The way out is through transformation,” he said. “Transform, do not maintain the status quo”.
Senior Biden administration officials say the meeting will lead to both countries announcing joint actions to modernize and improve infrastructure along key parts of their 2,000-mile border, as well as enhance law enforcement cooperation against fentanyl smuggling and promote clean energy.
Biden emphasized that a “major operation” against fentanyl traffickers has been underway since April and has resulted in more than 3,000 arrests.
Yet despite agreement on trying to increase legal migration, the Biden administration has been less clear about how much it will urge Mexico to detain people heading into its territory and then crossing illegally, a key demand from Biden’s predecessor. , President Donald Trump.
In turn, Vice President Kamala Harris, who has been tasked with exploring the root causes of immigration in Latin America, also received López Obrador at breakfast on Tuesday.
“The time I spent with you in Mexico was very special for me,” said the vice president, highlighting the “friendship that has been so important for both nations.”
“She is our friend,” said López Obrador. “But she is also a woman with principles. An intelligent woman. honest. She is a supporter of equality. So I congratulate the American people because she has a vice president of the first order”.
“We have always been speaking for the benefit of our peoples and our two nations. Today we are going to do the exact same thing,” she remarked.
