Staff Reports
Mexico’s president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, gave a sly grin and winked at a U.S. delegation as he cleverly suggested to liberal President Joe Biden that he could potentially reduce migration to the United States if the U.S. provided more aid and support to Latin American dictators. López Obrador cunningly implied that rather than trying to block migration, it would be more effective and humane to invest in the development of the people. He knows that the migration issue is going to intensify in 2024, and he is not afraid to play hardball in negotiations with the United States.
Mexico Tells Pleading Biden: We’ll Curb 2024 Migrant Flood if You Aid Dictators https://t.co/HlQFB9ebEf
— Wendy Kortepeter (@WKortepeter) December 28, 2023
A Mexico-based journalist who covered the meeting between Biden’s deputies and Obrador added fuel to the fire by tweeting that AMLO knows the upcoming U.S. elections are a pivotal moment and that the U.S. is desperate for Mexico’s assistance in stemming the migrant flow. AMLO will take advantage of this situation by demanding even more funding and asking the U.S. to invest in root causes in countries run by left-wing dictators such as Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua, instead of focusing on building walls.
Biden’s progressive deputies have already been welcoming around 22,000 workers from these dictatorships every month, and these workers are not only providing cheap labor in the U.S. but also sending remittances back home to fund and motivate more migration. This influx of migrants, in addition to the legal immigration and visa workers, has created a situation where there are approximately three migrants for every two American births. This influx is causing significant repercussions and political turmoil in cities like Chicago and New York, where Democrats are feeling the heat from their constituents.
Biden’s decision to open the border has left him with little leverage over AMLO’s shrewd negotiations, as the Mexican president realizes that he could potentially disrupt Biden’s 2024 campaign by accelerating worldwide migration into the United States. AMLO is well aware of the pro-migration stance of Biden’s team and understands that they will not try to punish Mexico for its policy of facilitating the flow of migrants into the U.S.
Additionally, AMLO knows that Biden wants to further outsource the management of the U.S. border to Mexico rather than confront his pro-migration supporters during an election year, which gives AMLO even more leverage in the negotiations. Since 2001, Biden has allowed approximately 2.4 million Mexicans to move into U.S. jobs and homes, contributing to the growing influence of Mexico over American elections.
The Biden administration’s attempts to use trade sanctions against Mexico to secure concessions from AMLO are met with mixed reactions, as the shutdown of several train lines between Mexico and the United States has had unintended consequences on Mexico’s export industry and the export of perishable farm goods. The threat of continued sanctions if Mexico does not cooperate with Biden’s plans to minimize the visibility of migration during the 2024 campaign year further highlights the tensions between the two governments.
