Mexico President Enrique Peña Nieto will meet with President Barack Obama Tuesday to discuss economic development and the immigration executive actions issued in November.

According to senior Obama administration officials, the presidents will take part in a series of meetings that will include the United States-Mexico High-Level Economic Dialogue (HLED), an annual meeting chaired by Vice President Joe Biden and cabinet secretaries from both countries. The HLED meeting also aims to provide "strategic direction" to initiatives to improve economic competitiveness.

During a press call on Monday, a senior administration official noted the importance for U.S. and Mexican officials to meet regularly.

The series of meetings will also include effects of Obama's immigration executive actions he made on Nov. 20. One senior Obama administration official said it's expected that the presidents will discuss border infrastructure and recognized the "tremendous" accomplishments in border security as migrant crossings is as low as the 1970s. The official noted two-thirds of the immigrants risking deportation are of Mexican descent.

Many of the immigrants risking deportation, however, are eligible to stay in the U.S. as a result of Obama's immigration executive actions, namely the creation of the Deferred Action for Parental Accountability (DAPA) and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programs. A senior administration official noted an outreach effort campaign will be launched to explain DAPA and DACA, outlining eligibility requirements and who is not eligible.

The official claimed Peña Nieto has been an important factor in addressing and reducing the influx of people migrating north into the U.S. According to the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the presidents will also review the progress of the Declaration on the 21st Century Border Management and bilateral agreements on security. He added both leaders agree that the "rule of law, peace and justice" are important.

Another senior administration official said the Obama administration has been strongly engaged with other countries, notably across Latin America. With the upcoming HLED meeting, the U.S. and Mexico has helped further promote competitiveness and connectivity, foster economic growth, productivity and innovation and partner for regional and global leadership. For the meeting, an administration official said Obama's entire economic cabinet will be in attendance, which should be a "huge indication" of the administration's focus on improving economic relations with Mexico.

Relations with other Latin American countries are also on the agenda, especially after announcement of normalizing U.S.- Cuba diplomatic relations. A senior Obama administration official noted Mexico "already had a long history" of helping promote and improve conditions in Cuba. With the renewed diplomatic relations and for the U.S., it's very important to work with Mexico and believe the normalization of relations will be a positive step in the discussions.

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For the latest updates, follow Latin Post's Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO or contact via email: m.oleaga@latinpost.com.

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