The closed-door meeting between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) on Wednesday in Mexico ended with mutual praise and secrecy. Although AMLO assured in a post that "important agreements" had been reached, he did not provide more details. Neither did Blinken, who only said he was "committed to partnering with Mexico," nor Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, who also participated in the meeting, nor the White House.
As we made clear in Mexico City today, we are committed to partnering with Mexico to address our shared challenges, including managing unprecedented irregular migration in the region, reopening key ports of entry, and combating illicit fentanyl and other synthetic drugs.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) December 28, 2023
We had a very productive meeting with President @lopezobrador_ and members of his Cabinet today in Mexico City. The regional challenge of migration requires regional solutions, and we appreciate Mexico’s commitment to continue its efforts alongside us and with others.
— Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas (@SecMayorkas) December 28, 2023
Mexican Secretary of Foreign Relations Alicia Bárcenas did have specific statements: "What we are going to do is form a joint work team," she said to local media. Bárcenas explained that the team will meet periodically, will include other countries in the region and that the next meeting will be at the end of January.
Likewise, the official highlighted "reopening border crossings" and combating "the causes" of immigration as main priorities: "Poverty, inequality, violence, family reunification." López Obrador had assured the same in a press conference prior to the meeting, in which he also stressed that his government would not tighten immigration controls and took aim at those who, according to him, sensationalize the immigration issue in U.S. internal politics for their own gain. He also stated that he hoped that the United States would reach out to Cuba.
📸 En Palacio Nacional, la canciller @aliciabarcena dio la bienvenida a 🇲🇽 al secretario de @StateDept, @SecBlinken de 🇺🇸, quien participará en la reunión convocada por el presidente @lopezobrador_ y aceptada por la delegación de EUA, sobre cooperación bilateral en materia de… pic.twitter.com/ODJ30cfkUU
— Relaciones Exteriores (@SRE_mx) December 27, 2023
