Joe Biden's decision not to invite the heads of state of the authoritarian regimes in Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua to the America summit in Los Angeles overshadowed the meeting weeks before it started on Monday.
Several Latin American countries only wanted to take part in a summit where “all” states were represented.
Ironically, Mexico's President Andrés Manuel López Obrador emerged as the boycott leader.
He didn't go to Los Angeles.
The presidents of Bolivia and Honduras are also staying at home, as is their counterpart from Guatemala.
The participation of the controversial President of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, is questionable.
Tjerk Bruhwiller
Correspondent for Latin America based in São Paulo.
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These presidents in particular would be important contacts for an urgent challenge: migration.
It should be one of the central topics of the summit.
The migration crisis is becoming visible again just in time for the summit, perhaps more so than ever before.
In the southern Mexican city of Tapachula, where migrants from all over Latin America have ended up, a crowd started a few days ago and is growing every day.
Experts assume that it could swell to become the largest so-called migrant caravan with more than 10,000 migrants.
Many of the migrants are women and children.
They come mainly from Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua - those countries that are not welcome at the Los Angeles summit.
Many Haitians and Central Americans are also among the migrants.
After two years of travel restrictions and the economic and social crisis in their home countries, many see their last chance to somehow make it to the United States.
Quite a few risk their lives and that of their children to do so.
Aid organizations have long been talking about a humanitarian crisis in Latin America, where millions of people have fled their homes, seven million of them with United Nations refugee status.
The number of migrants apprehended at the US-Mexico border has skyrocketed in the past year.
What does Biden offer the States?
Biden's announcement that he would relax his predecessor Donald Trump's restrictive immigration restrictions, which has not happened so far, also contributed to this.
The United States is also counting on help from Mexico and Guatemala in an attempt to stop the migrants.
These countries are increasingly unable to cope with the onslaught.
The fact that the Mexican authorities are currently letting the migrants go has fueled speculation that the "caravan" could be used as leverage at the Americas summit.
White House sources say Biden will propose a migration plan at the summit to spread responsibilities among different countries.
Details are not known.
The tense climate is likely to make it difficult to find a solution.
The decisive factor is what Washington has to offer its guests from Latin America in order to get to the root of the problem.
Apparently, Biden's team is still finalizing the details of an economic plan it intends to present, which will include aspects such as energy security, healthcare, improving supply chains and food security.
Whether the surprise that some are talking about succeeds will also depend on whether the plan's financial scope is sufficient to refute the accusation that Latin America is not a priority for Washington.
The United States is no longer the only superpower in the region.
China has become the most important partner for several countries and has been investing in infrastructure projects in Latin America for years.
Washington has had little to counter this in recent years.
criticism from all sides
The America Summit was established in 1994 to promote democracy in the region.
The exclusion of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua from the summit can be seen as Biden's commitment to this principle.
But even within Biden's Democratic Party, the American president is accused of contradictory actions.
The allegation relates to the easing of sanctions against Cuba and Venezuela announced by the Biden government in May.
In the future, the number of flights to Cuba will be increased and restrictions on money transfers to Cuba will be removed, which are seen as a remnant of Trump's tough Cuba policy.
The sanctions against the Maduro government in Venezuela are also to be relaxed.
In the case of Venezuela in particular, real political considerations also play a role.
Washington is looking for ways to reopen the Venezuelan oil industry as part of the sanctions against Russia.
A delegation from the White House had already traveled to Caracas in March in search of alternative sources of oil.
Now the first oil deliveries from Venezuela to Europe are to be allowed again.
According to sources familiar with the negotiations, the Italian and Spanish energy groups Eni and Repsol are expected to receive the first deliveries from Venezuela as early as next month.
In return, Venezuela should benefit from debt relief.
One condition is that the oil goes to Europe and is not resold.
Although the supply volumes will initially be rather small, Washington hopes that the easing will reduce Europe's dependence on Russian oil.
In addition, the government in Caracas is said to be persuaded to hold further talks with the opposition.
The fact that the easing of sanctions against Cuba and Venezuela has been met with criticism in the United States may have prompted Biden not to invite the heads of state from Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua to the big stage of the America Summit in Los Angeles.
Realpolitik often takes place behind the scenes.
It's not always ready for the stage - not even in California.