Biden, López Obrador open Mexico meetings with brusque talk
The Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador challenged Joe Biden to end his attitude of “abandonment and disdain” towards Latin America and the Caribbean. They met Monday and it was a rude opening to the summit of North American leaders.
These comments were stark contrast to the public displays of affection between Lopez Obrador, Biden just a few moments before. They smiled, embraced and shook their hands for the cameras. It wasn’t long before tensions flared when the two men sat down together in an elegant room at Palacio Nacional. They were accompanied by delegations from top officials.
The summit’s main work will be completed on Tuesday when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the leaders of Canada will hold hours of discussions. The summit will focus on immigration, legal and illegal, as well as border security.
Lopez Obrador challenged Biden Monday to improve the lives of the people in the region. He told him that “you hold all the keys in your hands.”
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He stated, “This is the time for us to decide to do away with the abandonment, the disdain and the forgetfulness for Latin America or the Caribbean.”
He also complained about the fact that too many imports come from Asia, instead of being made in America.
He said, “We asked ourselves, could we not produce in America what is consumed?” “Of course.”
Biden replied by defending the billions that the United States spends on foreign aid all over the globe, saying that “unfortunately our responsibility just does not end in the Western Hemisphere.” He also referenced U.S. deaths due to fentanyl which flows across the border from Mexico.
Although both men had pledged to work together it was an extremely sharp exchange that was on full display in front of reporters. They had a private meeting for around an hour before they went to dinner with Trudeau, their wives.
The meeting is usually held every year, though there was a break when Donald Trump was president. The meeting is often called the “three Amigos Summit”, a reference to the strong diplomatic and economic ties that exist between the countries. However, new strains have emerged.
All three countries struggle to deal with an influx of migrants arriving in North America. They also need to crack down against smugglers that profit from persuading them to travel to the U.S.
Canada and the U.S. also accuse Lopez Obrador, accusing him of violating a free-trade pact by preferring Mexico’s state owned utility to power plants constructed by private and foreign investors. Trudeau, Lopez Obrador, and others are worried about Biden’s efforts to increase domestic manufacturing. This raises concerns that U.S. neighbours could be left behind.
Biden and Lopez Obrador are not on the best of terms over the past two years. He made no secret that he admires Trump and he missed a Los Angeles summit last year because Biden had refused to invite the authoritarian regimes in Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua.
There have been some attempts to thaw the relationship. Biden was able to fly into Felipe Angeles International Airport which is a prized project by the Mexican president, even though it has been controversial.
It is located more than an hour north of the city centre, and has very few flights. The airport is also expected to cost $4.1 million when it is completed. It’s still one of Lopez Obrador’s keystone projects. He also plans to finish an oil refinery in the Yucatan Peninsula, as well as a tourist train that links the Pacific and Gulf coasts.
Biden’s limousine was used by the two leaders to transport them into Mexico City. Lopez Obrador was fascinated at the presidential vehicle, known as “the beast,” which he claimed Biden had “showed him how the buttons work.”
The Mexican president made a warm comment about the first meeting of the leaders. He said that President Biden was a friend and “very pleasant.”
Biden also announced last week that the U.S. and Mexico had reached an agreement regarding a major shift of their migration policy.
The plan will see the U.S. sending 30,000 migrants each month from Cuba, Nicaragua and Haiti across the border to replace those who have illegally entered the U.S. For a variety reasons, migrants who arrive from these four countries cannot be returned to their homelands.
Additionally, legal work in the United States will be possible for 30,000 people per month who are sponsored, undergo background checks, and fly to the U.S. by one of the four countries mentioned above.
Lopez Obrador stated Monday that he would accept more migrants than he had previously indicated.
Lopez Obrador stated that while we don’t wish to predict the future, this is part of what they will be discussing at the summit. He stated that “we support this type of measure, to give people alternatives, options,” and added that “the numbers might be increased.”
Mexico will likely need to increase the number of people who have been granted work authorization in the U.S., in order for it to accept more migrants who are being deported.
Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security advisor, warned that nothing is finalized yet.
He stated, “What we need to do is to examine how the program last week works in practice and what adjustments if any are necessary to that program. Then we can discuss the next steps.”
Biden spent four hours in El Paso (Texas) while on his way to Mexico. This was his first visit at the border as president, and the longest time he has been there since he arrived along the U.S-Mexico border. It was tightly controlled and appeared to counter Republican claims that there is a crisis. Biden demonstrated a smooth operation to allow migrants to enter legally, remove smuggled contraband, and treat illegal immigrants humanely.
The trip was unlikely to disarm critics on both sides, including those who represent immigrant advocates and accuse Trump of inventing cruel policies similar to his hardline predecessor, Republican Donald Trump.
Biden’s first two terms in office have seen a dramatic increase in the number of migrants crossing to Mexico from the U.S. The number of migrants crossing the border reached 2.38 million in the year ended September 30, which was the highest figure since 2 million.
Lopez Obrador officially welcomed Biden to Mexico at the Palacio Nacional on Monday afternoon. This was the first time Mexico had hosted a U.S. President since 2014.
As a gesture of solidarity, the first women of Mexico and the United States gave the same speech. They alternated between Jill Biden’s English speech and Beatriz Gutierrez Müller’s Spanish speech.
Jill Biden stated that “we believe poverty is not destined to God but the result of inequality.” “We believe that all people deserve better lives and we are committed to working with compassion to make it happen every day.”
Jill Biden had met earlier in the day with women from the fields.
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