Joe Biden Meets Ecuador President Guillermo Lasso at the White House

U.S. President Joe Biden met with Ecuador's President Guillermo Lasso at the White House to discuss strengthening the economic and security relationship between the two countries.

According to The White House website, the leaders talked about strengthening economic integration in the region via the bilateral Trade and Investment Council Agreement and the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity initiative.

This would be done by encouraging investment, deepening economic cooperation, setting high standards for labor and the environment, and giving working families more opportunities.

During the visit, Biden announced that the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation would give $13.5 million to support microfinance loans in Ecuador, including loans to businesses owned and run by women.

He also said that USAID planned to give $5 million to support President Lasso's plan to help solve the problem of child malnutrition in Ecuador by making rural areas cleaner and giving people better access to clean water.

The United States asked Ecuador to be one of only 16 global partners in the Global Procurement Initiative, led by the United States Trade and Development Agency. This was done because Ecuador promised to make its public procurement practices fairer, more precise, and more open.

With the help of training for Ecuador's public procurement officials, this project will help build robust and high-quality infrastructure.

Joe Biden and Guillermo Lasso Talk About Growing Immigration Crisis

The White House is under increasing scrutiny for its immigration policies, so the two leaders also discussed ways to reduce the number of migrants entering the United States.

This week, the Biden administration must get rid of Title 42, a public health order first made by former President Donald Trump, per Reuters.

Title 42, a public health order issued by the Trump administration that authorized expedited deportations of migrants to Mexico or their home countries to contain the COVID-19 virus in U.S. detention centers, must be rescinded by the Biden administration this week.

Thousands of asylum-seeking migrants might be released in border state communities, and an increased influx of migrants to the U.S.-Mexico border if the order is lifted, as a judge ruled that it was "arbitrary and capricious" and violated federal regulatory law.

"Today, we're going to keep building on the progress we've made. Together we've made historic strides on migration," President Joe Biden told reporters.

Lasso promised that he and Biden would stand up for democratic values like freedom and human rights.

"We were the first country in Latin America that condemned the Russian attack on Ukraine. We believe in multilateralism, we believe in the international rule of law, we believe that dialogue is the best formula to resolve differences," Lasso said.

On Sunday's episode of CBS News' "Face the Nation," conservative Democrat U.S. Senator Joe Manchin pushed Biden to request an extension of Title 42.

"The president needs to find a way," Manchin said.

Ecuador President Guillermo Lasso Seeks Help Fighting Drug Cartels

VOA News noted that one of Lasso's primary goals in Washington is to get assistance in the fight against drug cartels, which have been waging open battle in the streets and jails of Ecuador.

In November, due to drug-related violence, President Guillermo Lasso declared a state of emergency in some regions of Ecuador, located between Colombia and Peru, the two major producers of cocaine in the world.

According to John Kirby, a spokesperson for the United States National Security Council, Joe Biden, and Guillermo Lasso will explore ways to increase collaboration in the fight against narcotics.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

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