Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has spelled out a series of demands from the U.S. ranging from visas to a multi-billion infusion of funds – even as the Biden administration seeks to pressure Mexico to do more on its part to address the migrant crisis.
He wants the U.S. to deploy $20 billion plan to help Mexico and Central American countries dealing with the root causes of migration – while also calling for wholesale changes in U.S.-Cuba policy.
‘We are going to help, as we always do,’ López Obrador said in a Friday speech ‘Mexico is helping reach agreements with other countries, in this case Venezuela,’ he said, before pivoting to his wish list.
‘We also want something done about the (U.S.) differences with Cuba,’ López Obrador said. ‘We have already proposed to President Biden that a U.S.-Cuba bilateral dialogue be opened,’ he said in remarks at a Friday press conference.
Lopez Obrador also said he wants the U.S. to provide visas to at least 10 million Hispanic migrants who have been living in the U.S. for 10 years or longer.
Migrants walk in a caravan as an attempt to reach the U.S. border, in Arriaga, Chiapas state, Mexico January 8, 2024. Mexico’s president wants the U.S. to spend $20 billion to address causes of migration
His long list of demands come even as the Biden administration is asking Mexico to do more, as a surge of migrants continue to flow across the border. It also comes at a time when the Biden administration needs to show progress on the issue while getting hammered by Republican rivals and even some prominent Democratic mayors on the costs and social impacts of the surge.
Border encounters hit another stunning milestone in December with 300,000 apprehensions.
The U.S. is leaning on Mexico to do more to reduce those numbers. Late last month Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Secretary of State Antony Blinken flew to Mexico to meet with López Obrador.
In one sign that Mexico has the capacity to have an impact, arrests at the southern border fell to about 2,500 Monday, according to the Associated Press, a drop from 10,000 during a December peak.
Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has spelled out demands for $20 billion in investments to address migration, as well as changes to Cuba policy and 10 million visas for people from Hispanic counties living in the U.S.
President Biden faces political pressure to deal with the migration crisis
Mexican immigration officials have resumed removing would-be border crossers from trains, and flying and busing them to southern Mexico, while flying some Venezuelan nationals back to their home country.
The White House has signaled in negotiations with congressional Republicans that it is willing to spend more to deal with border issues – which are threatening to become an election problem for Biden and Democrats in 2024.
Changing U.S. policy toward Cuba and Venezuela could be a taller order.
But Lopez Obrador is embracing some of the administration’s own rhetoric, including Vice President Kamala Harris’ push to address the ‘root causes’ of immigration.
‘We have always talked about addressing the causes,’ López Obrador said. ‘The ideal thing is to help poor countries.’
Underlining the issue is yet another ‘caravan’ of migrants who began a march in the southern Mexico state of Chiapas. The group disbanded days after Christmas but then reformed after claims of deception by authorities over the status of some of the estimated 6,000 participants.