WASHINGTON — WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden spoke with his Mexican counterpart, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, about cooperation on migration policy, as the U.S. leader continues to debate whether to take executive action to crack down on the number of migrants arriving in the southern US will push back. border.
The call took place Sunday at Biden’s request, López Obrador said during his daily news conference Monday in Mexico City. In a joint statement, Biden and López Obrador said the call focused on their joint efforts to “effectively manage” migration and “strengthen operational efficiencies” at the US-Mexico border.
“We talk every now and then,” López Obrador said. “I look for him, he looks for me, we talk.”
The Mexican leader said the two countries have made progress in controlling unauthorized migration by convincing many migrants not to use illegal methods to move from country to country. López Obrador also applauded a January decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that allowed Border Patrol agents to resume cutting razor wire that the state of Texas installed along the border to try to stem migration.
The joint statement said Biden and López Obrador have instructed their national security officials to “immediately” take concrete steps to reduce the number of unauthorized border crossings, although the administrations did not elaborate on what those steps would be. The policy would also protect human rights, the statement said.
Since the collapse of border legislation in Congress earlier this year, the White House has not ruled out Biden issuing an executive order on asylum rules to try to reduce the number of migrants arriving at the US southern border. Any unilateral action would likely rely on a president’s authority under Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which provides broad powers to block the entry of certain immigrants if deemed detrimental to the national interest.
Administration officials have been considering various options for months, but Biden has made no decision on how to proceed with executive action. White House aides have also seen little immediate urgency for the president to take action as the number of illegal border crossings has declined from a record high of 250,000 in December, as Mexican officials stepped up enforcement efforts.
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Verza reported from Mexico City.