An "unprecedented" influx of Mexican immigrants to America
US President Joe Biden and his Mexican counterpart Andres Manuel Obrador held virtual talks Friday to discuss the "unprecedented" influx of migrants and refugees on the US southern border, an issue of concern to the White House ahead of the November elections.
The call lasted about 50 minutes, according to the White House, and focused on the increasingly complex relations between the two neighbors, which are closely linked through trade, legal and illegal immigration, and drug-related violence.
"The tone of the call was very constructive," White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.
It was not a call in which President Biden threatened the Mexican president in any way,” referring to the brinkmanship policy pursued by former US President Donald Trump with Mexico regarding illegal immigration.
"Most of the talk was about immigration and the continuation of work on coordination and economic coordination and taking steps to reduce immigration along the border," she added.
The White House confirmed that Biden wanted to present his desire to cooperate with Obrador, in contrast to Trump's confrontational style.
Immigration has often angered previous US administrations for decades, as the country relied on cheap immigrant labor and struggled to control an influx of undocumented immigrants, including asylum seekers.
The official said "enormous challenges" around the world, from climate change to the war in Ukraine and food insecurity, had led to "unprecedented levels of migration."
The chaos on the southern border is exacerbated by Biden's effort to stop the "Title 42" measure that was implemented during the Covid pandemic and allowed the expelling of immigrants and asylum seekers quickly instead of allowing them to remain in the United States pending the examination of their applications.
Opponents of the measure say it is no longer justified, but Republicans and even some members of Biden's party warn that repealing it would cause an uncontrollable increase in border crossings.
Although the procedure expires on May 23, a judicial decision decided to continue implementing it for the time being.
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