Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and his United States (US) counterpart President Joe Biden issued a joint statement following their meeting on Tuesday that focused on their shared commitment to taking “immediate and coordinated steps to manage the flow of migrants arriving into our countries,” while also addressing the “underlying economic and security drivers of migration” and ensuring “full protection of human rights.”
To this end, the pair established a bilateral working group on labour migration pathways and worker protections. Simultaneously, they committed to convening a joint working group to address the issue of child migration.
On the topic of migration, they jointly lamented the death of 53 migrants in San Antonio last month, more than half of whom were Mexicans. López Obrador had earlier attributed the tragedy to the US’ lack of control at their shared border. In this regard, the two presidents vowed to “go after the multi-billion dollar criminal smuggling industry preying on migrants” and target the “root causes” of migration.
Nos reunimos en Washington con el presidente de Estados Unidos, Joseph Biden, a quien propusimos cinco puntos básicos de cooperación. Los grandes desafíos nos demandan un programa atrevido de desarrollo y bienestar, además de estrechar aún más los lazos de amistad y cooperación. pic.twitter.com/1XYiGq1hf7
— Andrés Manuel (@lopezobrador_) July 12, 2022
During their pre-meeting remarks, López Obrador asserted that it is “indispensable for us to regularise and give certainty to migrants that have for years lived and worked in a very honest manner,” as he called for a “bold program of development and well being” that introduces more temporary work visas for Mexicans and Central Americans legally living and working in the US.
In this regard, the Mexican leader argued that failure to ensure “orderly migration flows” could ‘paralyse’ the economy.
During a 40-minute speech, López Obrador urged Biden to follow the example of former US President Franklin Roosevelt’s “Good Neighbors Policy” that fostered respect for sovereignty of Mexico. He also recalled the successes of the Bracero Program of 1943 that enabled the hiring of 130,000 Mexican agricultural workers in the US to support food grain production and construction of railroads. He nudged Biden to learn “good lessons” from Roosevelt’s policies that presented a “more secure framework with less human rights violations,” in comparison “to current migration provisions.”
It was an honor to welcome President Lopez Obrador of Mexico. This was an opportunity to deepen cooperation between our two nations on a wide range of issues, including our work to address the root causes of migration. pic.twitter.com/Hh9PqhD53N
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) July 12, 2022
In that regard, Biden described migration as a “hemispheric challenge,” that he emphasised was the focus of the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection finalised at the 9th Americas Summit. In fact, the document was also signed by Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, among 20 other partner nations. Biden also noted that his administration issued more than 300,000 H-2 visas for Mexican workers last year, lauding it as a “proven strategy that fuels economic growth as well as reduces irregular migration.”
He noted that his government has also taken a strong stance against drug, weapons, and human trafficking, saying the US has deployed an additional 1,300 personnel and carried out 20,000 ‘disruption operations’ since April, resulting in more than 3,000 arrests.
Estimates suggest an increase in the number of border crossings in recent months, with 239,000 migrant encounters recorded in May alone. The US has made more than 2.8 million arrests at the southern border since Biden took office in early 2021. These numbers are likely to increase even further in light of rising instability in Latin American countries and Biden’s failure to lift the Trump-era Title 42 restrictions.
Historic seizure, just 5 days before Biden & AMLO are set to meet. If you see the state as the organizer in organized crime, this dope-on-the-table strategy looks more like an admission that they know where & how to pull the strings when they need to than it does a victory… https://t.co/Cl6lcqgf2M
— Christy Thornton (@llchristyll) July 7, 2022
Apart from migration Biden and López Obrador’s discussion on Tuesday centred around four other major topics: the energy crisis, gas pipelines between the two countries, the elimination of tariffs under the US-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trilateral trade pact, and private and public investment plans.
Biden said that while the two sides have “some disagreements,” he largely agrees with the “thrust” of his counterpart’s proposals and demands.
Against this backdrop, the two leaders voiced their support for the “full implementation” of the USMCA agreement in order to ensure supply chain resilience and expanded production lines. They agreed to discuss the pact further during the 10th North American Leaders Summit in November.
Most awkward part was when AMLO told Biden Mexico is letting Americans cross the border to buy gas because it’s $1 cheaper per gallon.
— Eli Stokols (@EliStokols) July 12, 2022
Biden, when he finally finished after 31 minutes, reminded him that the US economic growth is leading the world.
And scene.
Gas prices and inflationary trends have affected both countries. To this end, López Obrador noted that while fuel prices are hovering at around $4.78 per barrel in the US, prices in Mexico are around $3.12 per barrel, which he said has led to a lot of American drivers purchasing gasoline from across the border. He added that since the energy crisis began, “Mexico has used 72 percent of its crude and fuel oil exports to United States refineries — 800,000 barrels a day.”
The duo also agreed to “jointly combat inflation” by easing bilateral trade, and lowering barriers. Mexico also plans to purchase 20,000 tonnes of milk powder and one million tonnes of fertilisers from the US.
Furthermore, they agreed to step up efforts to modernise infrastructure along their shared 2000-mile long border to “make the flow of commerce and people more secure and efficient.” Biden committed $3.4 billion toward 26 major construction and modernization projects at land ports of entry, while Mexico promised to spend $1.5 billion by 2024.
Trump in his four years couldn't finish a border wall, let alone get Mexico to pay for it.
— Abdullah Hasan (@AHasan46) July 12, 2022
President Biden just got Mexico to agree to paying $1.5 BILLION to improve border processing and security through smart, proven border management solutions. https://t.co/ot86Irc8IF
The US Mexico High Level Economic Dialogue in September will further strengthen efforts in this direction.
In addition, Biden and López Obrador vowed to reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas sectors and expedite the transition to zero-emission vehicles. The two nations have previously moved to cooperate on climate action via the Global Methane Pledge and Global Methane Pledge Energy Pathway.
I still hear this idea that Biden is “rewarding bad behavior” by meeting AMLO so soon after Summit snub. Sorry but that’s so 20th century; hard to imagine these same folks arguing same with say Germany. Neighbors should be able to disagree & still talk https://t.co/zk1G99m0bp
— Brian Winter (@BrazilBrian) July 12, 2022
Biden and López Obrador’s relationship has appeared strained over the past few months, especially after the Mexican leader skipped the Americas Summit in Los Angeles last month due to the US’ refusal to invite Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
However, Biden dismissed any hostility with his Mexican counterpart in his speech, claiming that “despite the overhyped headlines that we sometimes see, you and I have a strong and productive relationship.”