MEXICO CITY – President Biden on Tuesday defended his border handling and thanked his Mexican counterpart for his willingness to accept asylum seekers rejected by the United States during what he called ” greatest migration in human history” across the region.
In his remarks at the end of a two-day summit with Mexican and Canadian leaders, Biden dismissed criticism from Republicans, Democrats and humanitarian groups, calling them are “extremists” and says he is taking a middle ground in his approach to immigration.
“I want to thank the president of Mexico for agreeing to take back 3,000 people,” Biden said, apparently referring to Notice last week that Mexico would accept 30,000 migrants a month from Venezuela, Haiti, Nicaragua and Cuba who attempt to cross the border illegally into the United States.
The increased law enforcement at the border has been denounced by Democrats and human rights groups as inhumane denial of asylum. But Mr. Biden said Tuesday that creating new legal immigration programs for people from those countries has unbalanced that effort.
“There are no more questions, no more questions in today’s connected world. We can’t stop ourselves from having common problems,” Biden said, adding, “We’re trying to make it easier for people to get here.”
The president’s comments, coming after hours of closed-door discussions with President Andrés Manuel López Obrador of Mexico and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada, also focused on the climate crisis, drug trafficking, economic prosperity economic and commercial.
All three men said the summit emphasized cooperation between their governments and eased longstanding disagreements and tensions, especially over economic competition in energy and new technologies. floating like an electric car.
“We’re real partners, all three of us,” Biden said at a news conference after the meetings.
But if the summit is meant to demonstrate a shared commitment to tackling immigration, it also shows the intractable nature of the problem. Questions about how to deal with the influx of people fleeing their homeland across Central and South America dominated much of the private discussion and public statements to the media, and a fact sheet. distributed by the White House listing the “key outcomes” from the summit did. does not include any major new migration initiatives.
Biden aides say the bigger challenge is how to border guard was his top priority at the summit. During a private meeting Monday night, Biden and López Obrador “reaffirmed their commitment to taking innovative approaches to addressing irregular migration,” according to the White House meeting summary. .
At the press conference after the summit, Mr. López Obrador presented a long history of changes in migration patterns over the past few decades and emphasized his belief that the best way to stop people Leaving home is an investment in making their country prosperous. and safe.
He praised Mr Biden for what he said was a recognition of that fact while criticizing previous US presidents for focusing too much on trying to keep migrants out of the country.
“He is the first president of the United States in a very long time who has not built even a meter of wall,” said López Obrador. “And that – we thank you for that, sir.”
How Times reporters cover politics. We rely on our journalists to be independent observers. So while Times employees can vote, they are not allowed to support or campaign for political candidates or causes. This includes participating in marches or rallies to support a movement or raise money or raise money for any political candidate or electoral cause.
The President of Mexico also attacked Greg Abbott, the Republican governor of Texas, who bus carrying a group of migrants to Washington last month and dropped them off in cold weather in front of the Naval Observatory, the residence of Vice President Kamala Harris.
“This is politics. This is completely inhumane,” said López Obrador, referring to “one of the governors” in the “neighboring country” in his remarks. “And this should not be done.”
Mr. López Obrador held closed-door discussions for Mr. Biden and Mr. Trudeau at the National Palace in Mexico City, the seat of government and the residence of the Mexican president.
On climate change, White House officials said the three leaders agreed to a number of new goals, including a pledge to “reduce methane emissions from the solid waste and wastewater sectors by at least 15% in 2030 compared to 2020 levels.” White House officials said they would work to develop a plan to cut food waste and a separate plan to coordinate electric vehicle charging stations along their border.
Trudeau emphasized economic cooperation on the continent, saying the three leaders are “all dedicated to promoting economic growth that supports the middle class and the people who work hard to join it.”
Other issues on Tuesday’s agenda include new efforts to combat drug and weapons trafficking in North America. Biden administration officials have been frustrated over the past two years with what they say is Mexico’s lack of cooperation in drug investigations.
White House fact sheet says leaders have agreed to step up North American Drug Dialogue strengthen information sharing and strengthen cooperation among the three countries on nuclear safety and security.
Earlier on Tuesday, Mr. Biden and Mr. Trudeau discussed the close relationship between the two countries as they continue to deal with what Mr. Trudeau called “very real challenges”, such as supporting for democracy around the world and climate change.
“When we work together, we can achieve great things,” Biden told Trudeau, adding that “the economic potential is unlimited” when the two countries work together. “I’m so lucky,” he added, “I have Canada to the north and Mexico to the south.”
The relationship between Canada and Mexico has a different dynamic than their relationship with the United States, where each side shares a border.
Canada has increased investment in Mexico in recent years, even as Canada has joined the United States in opposing Mexico’s energy policies that violate the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, a trade agreement that effective July 2020. But experts say Canada has less leverage than Mexico under López Obrador’s administration.
“We didn’t have anything to seriously offer them,” said Robert Bothwell, an expert on the history of Canadian diplomacy at the University of Toronto. Mr. López Obrador “buys tolerance from the United States by changing the border in a way that benefits the Biden or Trump administration. And in return, he hopes the United States will help him ease his slack in other areas.”
Mr. Bothwell said that unlike some of his predecessors, especially former President Vicente Fox, López Obrador showed little interest in building ties with Canada. The Mexican president’s views stand in stark contrast to Mr. Trudeau’s long-standing emphasis on topics such as diversity, equality and feminism, he said.
“These topics will be completely non-offensive” to Mr. López Obrador, Mr. Bothwell said.
The three leaders who have met for a trade deal that has tied the economies of Canada, the United States and Mexico more closely will face a key test this week, as a panel of experts predicts. is expected to rule that the United States violated the rules of the agreement regarding auto production.
The pending decision on one of several prominent North American trade disputes comes as the leaders reaffirmed their commitment to increasing trade between their economies and upholding the terms. of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
All three countries are being criticized by their trading partners for violating various aspects of that treaty, which revised and updated the older North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA. The United States and Canada continue to clash over Canada’s dairy management system, while Mexico has been criticized for its energy policies and plans to ban the import of genetically modified corn, which would harm the dairy industry. American manufacturer.
Ana Swanson contribution report from Washington, Steve Fisher from Mexico City and Onishi Norimitsu from Montreal.
