Biden Arrives in Mexico To Participate In Regional Summit

On Sunday, U.S. President Joe Biden arrived in Mexico City to participate in the North American Leaders’ Summit along with President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

RELATED: 

Sinaloa Drug Cartel Leader Ovidio Guzman Is Captured

His arrival marks the first visit to Latin America by a U.S. president since 2014, when former President Barack Obama (2009-2017) travelled to Mexico to congratulate this country's authorities in person for their fight against drug cartels.

Biden seeks Mexican assistance to tackle the trafficking of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid mainly produced in this Latin American country described by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) as the "deadliest drug threat" facing the United States.

“We are certainly grateful for the recent arrest of cartel leader Ovidio Guzman. This is a significant accomplishment by Mexican authorities,” U.S. Security Council spokesman John Kirby stressed.

Another priority at the summit will be fighting irregular immigration. Currently, thousands of undocumented Latin American migrants are stranded in Mexico because of the controversial Title 42 order, which former President Donald Trump (2017-2021) implemented to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

On Thursday, Washington announced that up to 30,000 qualifying migrants a month would be allowed into the U.S. from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela if they arrive by plane. The quota will be restricted to those with a U.S. sponsor, while those migrants who attempt to cross the border illegally will be expelled in coordination with Mexico.

The International Rescue Committee humanitarian group warned that the new measures would only push more asylum-seekers into dangerous situations, like mass kidnappings.

“I know that migration is raising the tension in border communities. I hope this gathering will deepen our coordination to counteract this situation,” Biden stated.