President Joe Biden is seeking to rebuild bridges with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in a White House meeting after the southern ally snubbed the first Summit of the Americas hosted by the United States since 1994.
Biden and Lopez Obrador are anticipated to announce joint actions regarding border infrastructure, regular migration, and law enforcement initiatives aimed at stemming the flow of fentanyl after their White House meeting on Tuesday.
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“We will also commit to deepen our cooperation to combat transnational criminal organizations that ferment violence in both countries,” one senior administration official told reporters on Monday.
That will include the creation of a U.S.-Mexico operational task force, under the Bicentennial Framework for Security, Public Health, and Safe Communities, and a bilateral working group focused on labor, migration pathways, and worker protections, particularly after last month’s human smuggling incident in San Antonio, Texas. More than 50 people were found dead in the back of a truck parked on the side of a road roughly 3 miles southwest of downtown San Antonio.
“We expect the two leaders to discuss their common vision for North America and efforts to address global challenges, such as the impact of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, which has affected working families in both countries, as well as the rest of the hemisphere,” the official said. “President Biden and his administration firmly believe our relationship with Mexico is a priority and critical to delivering for the American people and people in the hemisphere.”
Lopez Obrador missed June’s Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles after Biden declined to invite Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua to the gathering. Tuesday’s meeting is Lopez Obrador’s second with the president at the White House. It will complement virtual and telephone Biden-Lopez Obrador conversations and Vice President Kamala Harris’s and first lady Jill Biden’s outreach.
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Senior administration officials previewing Tuesday’s meeting downplayed the Summit of the Americas flap. Instead, they emphasized Mexico’s endorsement of the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity and the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection.
The first is Biden’s marquee Americas economic framework. The latter strives to share responsibility and economic and security support with countries dealing with refugees and migrants.
