Cornyn heads to inauguration in Mexico
Officials, including Pence, to stress mutual interests
WASHINGTON — Texas U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, who will join Vice President Mike Pence in Mexico City at this weekend’s inauguration of incoming Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, said Wednesday that U.S. officials hope to send a strong message of international cooperation on the trip.
“Obviously, we have a lot in common, and I think it’s important that members of Congress and members of the administration, like Vice President Mike Pence, who will be traveling there, will make a statement by their presence,” Cornyn said. “That we value the relationship, we understand that many of the challenges we face individually we face together, and it’s imperative that we work together.”
Cornyn, the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, will be part of a bipartisan U.S. delegation that includes at least three other Texans: Energy Secretary and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, suburban Houston Republican Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, and Laredo Democrat Henry Cuellar, whose district spans the southern border.
President Donald Trump will not attend Saturday’s inauguration, which will usher in a leftwing populist Mexican government that is expected to clash with the U.S. in a number of areas including trade, immigration, drug trafficking, border security and oil and gas production.
Cornyn said he has been heartened by recent talks between the U.S. and incoming Mexican officials regarding a proposal to hold Central American asylum seekers in Mexico while their applications are adjudicated in the U.S.
Cornyn said he plans to hold direct talks with officials in the new Mexican administration about legal immigration, trade and commerce.
The White House announced Tuesday that among those making the trip to López Obrador’s inauguration will be Karen Pence, the vice president’s wife; Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen; Ivanka Trump, adviser to the president; John Creamer, U.S. Embassy Mexico City diplomat; and Assistant Secretary of State Kimberly Breier.