The Cinco de Mayo celebration this year has served the president of the United States, Joe Biden, to address one of the most urgent issues on the bilateral agenda with Mexico, a front that is also increasingly fueling the political dispute between the Democratic Administration and Republican governors. The president has promised during the tribute to the migrant community in the White House rose garden that his team is “working to fix” the country’s immigration system. Biden has stated in reference to Latin America that “it is not the backyard, but the front” of the United States and has taken up the words of his wife, Jill, who opened the event, to highlight that today is a day “to celebrate the resilience, but also a day to celebrate friendship.”
Specifically, the president thanked the closeness and friendship with his counterpart, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, and at the beginning of his speech he stepped down from the podium to welcome the wife of the Mexican president, Beatriz Gutiérrez Müller, who has represented the country at the ceremony commemorating the Battle of Puebla. That was the origin of the festival, the triumph of Benito Juárez’s army against the French troops on May 5, 1862, a milestone that later began to be celebrated, especially by migrants. “Mexico and the United States are friendly countries that share a long border, but build bridges with ethical values and walk, as far as possible, to leave future generations a better future,” Gutiérrez Müller wrote on his Instagram account when sharing a short video of the greeting with Biden. The writer and historian, who in March already undertook an official trip to the Southern Cone, also wanted to express her complicity with the US first lady, whom she has thanked for her “warmth”.
The Mexican ambassador in Washington, Esteban Moctezuma, has been absent after a positive test for covid-19. The diplomatic representative met on Tuesday with the Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, and the test was carried out after its announcement. Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, who was present at that meeting, did the same. His test came back negative. “I am sorry not to participate in the Cinco de Mayo events,” Moctezuma said.
The act, in any case, has not been an official reception with tacos, tamales and watermelon. The political background was evident, even more so in the context of recent days. Last Friday Biden and López Obrador spoke by phone to address immigration issues and prepare to participate in the Summit of the Americas convened in June in Los Angeles. On Monday Ebrard traveled to Washington to lay the groundwork for negotiating an agreement on this matter. And this Thursday, after celebrating the anniversary of the battle in Puebla, the Mexican president began a tour of Central America —Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Belize, with a final detour to Cuba— with the commitment to reinforce the protection of the southern border.
The two leaders have shown that they have a fluid relationship despite the occasional disagreements between their governments on matters of security or economic management. Biden today recalled, once again, that the United States is a nation built by migrants and has dedicated a few words to his Irish roots. He has also recalled López Obrador’s last visit, last November during the North American Summit between the two countries and Canada, also known as three friends. They then spoke of Franklin D. Roosevelt, president of the United States between 1933 and 1945 and promoter, he emphasized, “of the good neighbors policy.”
The White House is urgently seeking a formula to solve the crisis on the northern border – where the Border Patrol detains more than 7,000 people trying to cross every day – after the pandemic multiplied the caravans of migrants from Central America. The exit, however, seems complex due to its own principles and due to the electoral calendar. The Democratic president tried to reverse the measures approved by Donald Trump, such as the so-called Title 42 (a regulation that allows hot returns under health pretexts), but at the same time he met with the fierce opposition of the Republican governors, especially that of Texas. , Greg Abbott.
Biden has reaffirmed during Thursday’s ceremony that borders can be secured while keeping the torch of freedom burning. The purpose is complicated, however, by the mid-term elections in November, with the specter of Trumpism behind the corner and in which Republican voters demand a tough hand against migrants. For now, the most important starting point for reaching an agreement with Mexico is a joint plan for job creation in Central America.
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