Biden, Mexican president confer on migration, other issues

President Biden dis- cussed efforts to address the unprecedented flow of migration along the U.S. southern border in a Friday afternoon call with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

López Obrador tweeted that the conversation was “cordial” and that they “spoke of issues of interest to the bilateral relationship.”

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the majority of the conversation was about migration and “continued work on coordination, economic coordination, on taking steps to reduce migration to the border and they have been a partner in that over the last several months.”

Psaki said the tone of the call was “very constructive.” The agenda included the upcoming Summit of the Americas in June in Los Angeles, and the end of coronavirus restrictions on asylum seekers trying to come to the U.S.

The White House said their call lasted 52 minutes, ending just before 2 p.m. Senior Biden administration officials said ahead of the conversation that it would also address Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, global economic challenges, the pandemic, climate change and the trade in illicit drugs.

The meeting came at a moment of international and domestic tensions, as the war in Ukraine has contributed to inflation worldwide amid concerns about likely shortages of oil, natural gas and food.

Moreover, the expected end on May 23 of the public health ban on asylum seekers could trigger a rush of migrants to the U.S.-Mexico border.

The Trump administration imposed the so-called Title 42 restrictions on asylum seekers in March 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic began to accelerate.