Mexican President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador urged the United States to take a new stance towards the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean in strong words. It is “time to end this forgetfulness, this neglect, this contempt for Latin America and the Caribbean,” López Obrador said yesterday (local time) during formal talks with Biden on his first visit to Mexico since taking office nearly two years ago. .
Biden responded to Lopez Obrador that Washington has spent “tens of billions of dollars” in the region in the last 15 years alone. The US provided “more foreign aid than all other countries combined”. Unfortunately, however, the US responsibility “does not end with the Western Hemisphere”.
Central topic of the refugee crisis
Lopez Obrador had previously warmly welcomed Biden to the Presidential Palace in Mexico City. In addition to his meeting with the Mexican head of state, talks were also planned with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for the US president. The refugee and migration crisis must be one of the central issues.
The high number of migrants and refugees illegally crossing the border from Mexico into the United States is one of the most pressing domestic political issues for Biden. Opposition Republicans, who have gained traction since congressional elections in November, accuse him of having too lax an immigration policy.