President Joe Biden spoke with his Mexican counterpart, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, about cooperating on migration policy as the U.S. leader continues to deliberate whether to take executive action that would crack down on the number of migrants arriving at the southern U.S. border.
Quick Read
- Migration Policy Discussion: President Joe Biden engaged in discussions with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador regarding cooperation on migration policies. The conversation, prompted by Biden, took place on Sunday and was highlighted in López Obrador’s news conference in Mexico City on Monday.
- Joint Efforts on Migration Management: The leaders issued a joint statement focusing on their collaborative efforts to manage migration effectively and enhance operational efficiency at the U.S.-Mexico border.
- Frequent Communication: López Obrador emphasized the regular communication between the two, stating that they periodically seek each other out for discussions.
- Progress in Migration Control: Significant advancements have been made in curbing unauthorized migration, with efforts to dissuade migrants from using illegal methods to traverse countries.
- U.S. Supreme Court Decision: López Obrador praised a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that permits Border Patrol to remove razor wire installations by Texas along the border, which aimed to deter migration.
- Directive to National Security Aides: Both presidents have instructed their national security teams to immediately implement specific measures to decrease unauthorized border crossings, with a focus on also protecting human rights, though details of these measures were not specified.
- Potential Executive Action: Amidst the breakdown of border legislation in Congress, there is ongoing speculation about President Biden possibly issuing an executive order on asylum rules to reduce migrant arrivals at the southern U.S. border, leveraging broad presidential powers under Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
- White House Deliberation: The White House continues to deliberate various options, with no immediate decision from Biden on any executive actions, partly because the urgency has lessened with a decline in illegal border crossings, attributed to increased enforcement by Mexico since a peak in December.
The Associated Press has the story:
Biden and Mexican President Obrador discuss migration in latest call
Newslooks- WASHINGTON (AP) —
President Joe Biden spoke with his Mexican counterpart, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, about cooperating on migration policy as the U.S. leader continues to deliberate whether to take executive action that would crack down on the number of migrants arriving at the southern U.S. border.
The call occurred on Sunday at Biden’s request, López Obrador said during his daily news conference Monday in Mexico City. In a joint statement, Biden and López Obrador said the call centered on their joint efforts to “effectively manage” migration and “strengthen operational efficiency” on the U.S.-Mexico border.
“We talk periodically,” López Obrador said. “I seek him out, he seeks me out, we chat.”
The Mexican leader said the two countries have made progress in controlling unauthorized migration by persuading many migrants not to use illegal methods to move from country to country. López Obrador also applauded a January decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that allowed Border Patrol agents to resume cutting razor wire that the state of Texas had installed along the border to try and deter migration.
The joint statement said that Biden and López Obrador have directed their national security aides to “immediately” put in place concrete measures to reduce the number of unauthorized border crossings, although the governments did not elaborate what those steps would be. The policies would also protect human rights, according to the statement.
Since the collapse of border legislation in Congress earlier this year, the White House has not ruled out Biden issuing an executive order on asylum rules to try and reduce the number of migrants arriving at the U.S. southern border. Any unilateral action would likely lean on a president’s authority under Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which offers broad powers to block entry of certain immigrants if doing so is deemed detrimental to the national interest.
Administration officials have been poring over various options for months, but Biden has made no decision on how to proceed with any executive actions. White House aides have also seen little immediate urgency for the president to take any action, considering the number of illegal border crossings have declined since a record high of 250,000 in December as Mexican officials stepped up their enforcement efforts.
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