Dialogue Between US and Mexico Leaders; Both Sides Agree on the Need to Enhance Border Security

The White House announced on Thursday that Joe Biden, the President of the United States, and Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, his Mexican counterpart, agreed in a phone conversation on the necessity of enhancing security and implementing more control over the shared borders between the two countries. At the same time, the National Security Council's strategic communications coordinator announced that high-ranking US officials, including the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the National Security Advisor, will travel to Mexico in the coming days to discuss this matter. According to Reuters, citing John Kirby, this trip will focus on efforts to stop the influx of migrants to the United States and how to cooperate bilaterally in this regard, with the leaders discussing actions that Mexico can take to slow this process. Meanwhile, dozens of major agricultural groups in the US called on the Biden administration on Wednesday to reopen two rail crossings at the Texas-Mexico border to restore trade routes that have been closed due to the increase in migrant crossings. The White House responded by stating that it is working with Mexico to resolve the issues that led to the closure of those two crossings. Officials stated that this action followed a temporary suspension of migrant deportations by Mexican immigration officials due to budget shortfalls at the end of the year. The Presidents of the United States and Mexico had previously discussed various topics such as bilateral trade, drug trafficking, migration, and North American economic cooperation on November 18, during the last day of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco. The US government announced on October 5 that it would expand the border wall in certain areas of Texas that have been entry points for a large number of migrants. This decision marks a clear shift in the Biden administration's policy. The Biden administration, which has opposed the construction of a border wall with Mexico, claims that the budget for building the border wall was allocated during Donald Trump's presidency and must be spent for this purpose. Biden's efforts to reach an agreement with Congress; US border and asylum restrictions are being reviewed. Mexican officials announced the detention of two Iranians under FBI supervision near the border. The budget requested by the Biden administration for aid to Ukraine is at an impasse in Congress; Republicans say US border security is a priority. The meeting of the Presidents of the United States and Mexico in San Francisco; illegal immigration and trafficking are concerns for the leaders of both countries.