Mexican President Seeks Talks with Biden on Immigration and Drug Trafficking

Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador intends to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden in early November to discuss immigration, development aid, and drug trafficking. This announcement comes as Mexico faces challenges from a surge in migrants passing through the country, leading to the closure of some U.S.-Mexico border crossings and disruptions to railway operations.

The majority of migrants are from Venezuela, many of whom have crossed through the dangerous Darien Gap that connects Colombia and Panama. Migrant shelters in Ciudad Juarez, located across from El Paso, Texas, are currently at 95% capacity, causing concern for the Mexican government, particularly in light of its strained relationship with Texas Governor Greg Abbott.

In response to previous migrant surges, Governor Abbott has implemented stricter border truck inspections and deployed floating barriers in the Rio Grande. Mexican diplomat Alicia Bárcena suggests that more should be done to address the flow of migrants through the Darien Gap and proposes that lifting U.S. economic sanctions against Venezuela could assist in repatriating individuals to their home countries.

The overwhelmed migration system is evident in the southern Mexican city of Tapachula, where an estimated 140,000 migrants are waiting to register for transit or asylum papers. Bárcena acknowledges the need for reinforcements, as processing such a large number of people has become impossible.

In Mexico City, some residents living near an overcrowded migrant shelter briefly blocked traffic, citing problems caused by migrants living on the streets outside the shelter. Additionally, Mexico is a major producer of synthetic opioid fentanyl, which is smuggled into the U.S. using precursor chemicals from China.

This statement by Bárcena follows President López Obrador’s decision to skip the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco. The Mexican president cited the lack of relations with Peru, claiming that the current government there was installed by a coup. The tension has resulted in the recall of ambassadors from both countries.

It is worth noting that this is not the first time President López Obrador has opted out of international meetings in the U.S. due to concerns about the guest list. Last year, he did not attend the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles because Nicaragua and Venezuela were not invited.