Biden Admin Won’t Push Border Policies In Meetings With Mexican Officials

Biden administration officials said President Joe Biden won’t push border policies in meetings with Mexican officials during the North American Leaders’ Summit, CBS News reported Thursday.

The Biden administration, which has relied on Mexican officials to help stop migrants from reaching the U.S. southern border, will soon decide whether to bring back former President Donald Trump’s Remain in Mexico policies, according to CBS News.

“There’s not a real focus, this time around, on our borders,” one senior Biden administration official said on Wednesday, CBS News reported. The discussions are expected to cover the “unprecedented displacement” of migrants across several countries.

The leaders are also expected to discuss “root causes” of mass migration, including poverty and violence in migrants’ home countries, according to CBS News. The Biden administration will reportedly consider expanding migrant benefits like legal immigration opportunities and access to work visas.

“Our perspective is that we are going to have positive results,” Mexican  Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said Wednesday, CBS News reported. “We have an optimistic vision of this meeting. It does not mean that an issue cannot arise where there are different positions, but it does mean that it will be a positive environment.”

Leaders from the U.S., Canada and Mexico haven’t met since 2016, according to CBS News. Migrants and asylum seekers typically pick one of the three countries to resettle in.