President-elect Joe Biden and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador discussed in a phone call Saturday and are working together on a “new approach” to migration that offers “alternatives to embarking on the dangerous journey” to the US.
Why it matters: Biden’s transition team statement on the details of the call is an important part of the president-elect’s plans to overhaul President Trump’s aggressive border policies.
- Biden has vowed to end Trump’s’ Stay in Mexico ‘policy, which forced tens of thousands of asylum seekers to wait for their court dates in Mexico, but Axios’ Stef Kight notes this has to do with complications, including a possible spike in migrants at the border. .
- The transition team said in its statement that Biden reiterated in the call that he was “honoring the commitments he has made on the campaign trail and noted that it would take time and resources to effectively implement those commitments.”
Details: “The President-elect emphasized the need to revive US-Mexico cooperation to ensure safe and orderly migration, contain COVID-19, revitalize North America’s economies and secure our common border. ‘, according to the transitional statement.
- “The two leaders noted a shared desire to address the root causes of migration in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and southern Mexico and build a future with greater opportunities and security for the region.”
- Biden said that in the early months of his administration he would work closely with Mexico and other regional partners “ to build the regional and border infrastructure and capacity necessary to enable a new orderly and humane approach to migration that will enable the international standards regarding the processing of asylum applications, ”the statement added.
What they say: “We reaffirmed our commitment to work together for the good of our peoples and nations,” said Lopez Obrador. in a Twitter post.
- This tweeted the Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, who was present at the call the conversation was “cordial”, adding that there would be “extensive bilateral cooperation and a very good relationship between” López Obrado and Biden.
Worth nothing: López Obrador was one of the last holdouts among major world leaders to congratulate Biden’s election win as Trump’s legal challenges unfolded. He confirmed on Tuesday that he had sent a letter to the president-elect.
Go deeper: Peak at border crossings marks an early test for Biden’s immigration plans