US Migrant Crisis: Joe Biden Admin Takes Action Amid Surge in Border Crossing

As more and more people troop to the border in hopes of a better life in the US, the Biden administration has sent top officials to Mexico to talk about the US migrant surge with the Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador government.

This diplomatic mission is headed by Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The delegation also includes Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and top Biden Homeland Security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall. They are all scheduled to meet with AMLO amid this US migrant surge that has strained local communities along the US-Mexico border.

The State Department stated that Blinken "will discuss unprecedented irregular migration in the Western Hemisphere and identify ways Mexico and the United States will address border security challenges, including actions to enable the reopening of key ports of entry across our shared border."

He also said the Biden administration delegation is expected to have "robust conversations" about humanely managing the border while also enforcing laws and on addressing the root causes of migration.

"Since the beginning of the Biden-Harris Administration, Mexico has been one of our strongest partners on migration, a shared responsibility that requires stronger cooperation," said a National Security Council spokesperson in a statement ahead of the meeting.

As Latin Post previously reported, AMLO has stated that he is willing to talk about the US migration crisis and cooperate with the US. Still, he also wants their neighbors to the north to ease sanctions on Cuba and Venezuela, as well as hold talks with Cuba. AMLO also wanted the US to provide more aid to the region, especially with the countries that migrants are coming from.

Mexico Asked US to Reopen Border Crossings During Meeting on Migrant Crisis

The meetings are happening in Mexico City and reports indicate that Mexico is trying to pressure the US officials to reopen border crossings. This was revealed by Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Barcena on Wednesday, stressing that "the importance of reopening border crossings is a priority" for Mexico.

"We are talking about the economic part, as well as the structural causes of migration," she said after one of the meetings, according to US News.

AMLO has repeatedly stressed that the US must address the root causes of why the US migrant surge is happening, and that is the economic situation in some countries is so dire that people are willing to cross treacherous jungles and scorching deserts to live a better life in the US.

The Mexican president has earlier said that the US Congress should be investing more in poor people around Latin America and the Caribbean "instead of putting up barriers, barbed wire fences in the river, or thinking about building walls."

US Also Pressuring Mexico To Do More About the US Migration Crisis

Meanwhile, as Mexico is pressuring the US to act on migration by dealing with the source, the US is also pressuring Mexico to stop the migrant surge from its border with Guatemala.

According to El Pais, the US officials have concrete requests of their own, including demanding Mexico that it should divert some of the migrants to southern Mexico and increase control of the railroads migrants use to cross the country. The US also demanded that Mexico provide incentives so that migrants do not continue north to the US-Mexico border.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: White House wants Mexico to make it harder for migrants to reach U.S. border - PBS NewsHour