US President Joe Biden held talks with his Mexican counterpart Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Friday as the approaching deadline for lifting coronavirus restrictions on the southern US border intensified concerns about the administration’s immigration policies and increased illegal border breaches, according to a report. The Los Angeles Times reported.
The newspaper said the conversation – which lasted 52 minutes and touched on cooperation on immigration, energy, security and economic growth – came at the end of a difficult week for the White House.
The administration is facing growing criticism over its plans to end the so-called authority of Article 42, a public health order that allows border controls to expel asylum seekers toward Mexico. It is noteworthy that this policy was enacted during the administration of former President Donald Trump to limit the spread of the Corona virus.
The Biden administration says the use of Article 42 was never intended to be a permanent measure, and the policy is being eased along with other pandemic-related restrictions.
“Most of the talk on the call was about immigration and continuing to work on overall coordination, economic coordination, and steps to reduce cross-border migration, and they’ve been partners in that over the past few months,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at a briefing after the call.
#Biden #holds #talks #Mexican #counterpart #immigration #borders