President Biden dispatches top officials to Mexico City amid record migrant crossings
President Biden has sent a team of high-ranking officials to Mexico City in response to a surge in migrant crossings at the U.S. border and Congress’ failure to reach a consensus on funding for border security. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and Mr. Biden’s homeland security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall traveled to Mexico on Wednesday to meet with President Andrés Manuel López Obrador as unauthorized crossings have strained federal and local resources in communities across the U.S.
Following a meeting that lasted over two hours, senior Biden administration officials reported that Mexico came prepared to share a plan to help stem the flow of migrants into the border. The officials also noted a significant reduction in border crossings in recent days, attributing the decrease to the collaborative work being done between the U.S. and Mexico in the region.
The meeting also addressed the need to crack down on smuggling, with discussions on legal pathways for migrants being a key point of interest for both President Biden and President López Obrador. The urgency of the situation was further highlighted by mayors from New York, Chicago, and Denver, who stated that they have reached their capacity for accommodating migrant arrivals and require significant federal intervention to sustain their efforts.
The visit comes in the wake of Border Patrol processing nearly 50,000 migrants who entered the U.S. illegally in just five days last week. In November, Border Patrol agents apprehended more than 191,000 migrants who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border unlawfully, and this month, as many as 10,000 migrants were apprehended daily at the southern border. President López Obrador has expressed his willingness to address the root causes of migration, emphasizing the need to help poor countries and calling for increased aid to the region while also urging the U.S. to ease sanctions on Cuba and Venezuela.
In the U.S., Congress has been debating border policy changes as part of a larger package including assistance to Ukraine and Israel. To garner Republican support for increased foreign aid, Democrats are considering drastic limits on asylum and increased deportations. The Biden administration’s efforts in Mexico and the ongoing debate in Congress signal the complexity of the situation and the urgent need for solutions to address the surge in migrant crossings at the U.S. border.