In a bid to address the ongoing issue of illegal border crossings, US President Joe Biden and Mexican counterpart Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador announced on Monday that they have instructed their respective teams to take “concrete” actions.
Despite the explosive nature of this issue in the US election, the joint statement issued by the leaders on Sunday did not provide specific details about the measures to be implemented to curb crossings over the southern US border with Mexico.
Republicans, particularly led by Biden’s election rival Donald Trump, have consistently made border security a focal point, portraying Biden as weak on illegal immigration.
The joint statement released by the White House stated that “the two leaders ordered their national security teams to work together to immediately implement concrete measures to significantly reduce irregular border crossings while protecting human rights.”
Biden has previously indicated that he is considering executive actions to address the problem, such as tightening asylum procedures and even temporarily closing the border.
However, he has encountered resistance from within his own party regarding measures perceived as too harsh on asylum seekers.
Recent polls have shown that the majority of voters hold Biden accountable for the unprecedented surge in migrants crossing the border, which reached a record high of 10,000 per day in December but has since decreased.
The influx of migrants, primarily from Central America and Venezuela, is driven by factors such as poverty, violence, and climate change-induced disasters.
Former President Trump has intensified his anti-immigration rhetoric as he seeks a return to the White House, often referring to migrants as “poisoning the blood” of the United States.
Additionally, the joint statement from the US and Mexican leaders highlighted their commitment to addressing the root causes of migration throughout the Western Hemisphere, including initiatives aimed at economic and security progress.
While Lopez Obrador has previously emphasized cooperation with Biden to tighten measures on the Mexican side of the border, he has also urged Washington to allocate billions annually to alleviate poverty in Latin America, ease sanctions on far-left governments in Venezuela and Cuba, and provide legal status to millions of Mexicans residing in the United States.
