US President Joe Biden discussed his intention to overthrow the Donald Trump administration’s immigration policy with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Friday (22), according to a document released by the White House on Saturday (23).
During the appeal, Biden outlined his plan to create new avenues for legal immigration and improve the asylum process. The priorities include “reversing the draconian immigration policies of the previous administration,” according to the White House.
The two leaders also pledged to work together to reduce illegal immigration.
Mexico has a key role in Biden’s immigration plans. Earlier this month, the country helped coordinate efforts in Central America to contain a large group of immigrants whose destination was the United States.
Shortly after taking office as President of the United States on Wednesday, Biden signed 17 executive orders to overturn policies instituted by Donald Trump.
Among them, the revocation of the declaration of emergency that helped finance the construction of a wall on the US border with Mexico. Designed to prevent immigrants from entering the country, the wall was one of the main promises of the Trump campaign in 2016.
Mexican President López Obrador said on his social media that the conversation with Biden had been “pleasant and respectful”.
“We are dealing with issues related to immigration, # covid19 and cooperation for development and well-being. Everything indicates that relations will be good for the good of our people and our nations,” he said. -he writes.
A statement from the Mexican Foreign Ministry said López Obrador celebrated that Biden recognized “the contributions of the Mexican immigrant community to the United States.” He also reaffirmed his government’s position that the solution to the phenomenon of immigration “is to promote the development of the communities of origin”.
In addition to the Mexican president, Biden also met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday. The two agreed to have a new conversation next month.
The White House reported that during their half-hour conference call, Biden and Trudeau “stressed the strategic importance” of the bond between the two countries and discussed how to strengthen “bilateral cooperation with a broad and ambitious program “which includes the fight against the pandemic. of Covid-19, strengthening economic and defense ties, in addition to the challenge of global warming.
The calls were the first with foreign leaders since the Democrat took office on January 20.