Biden, Mexican president discuss drugs, migration on final day of
Pacific summit
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[November 18, 2023]
By Jeff Mason
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden and his Mexican
counterpart Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Friday expressed a shared
desire to tackle migration and drug trafficking, finding common ground
on issues in the bilateral relationship and the 2024 U.S. presidential
election.
Biden was concluding a four-day diplomatic push with China and other
Pacific nations and was to hold a final meeting with Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum leaders after the talks with Lopez
Obrador.
"Mexico and the United States stand together," Biden said. "We see it in
our security cooperation, we're working side-by-side to combat arms
trafficking, to tackle organized crime and to address the opioid
epidemic, including fentanyl."
Lopez Obrador described the U.S.- Mexico relationship as respectful and
cooperative, and he praised Biden for his immigration policies, calling
him an "extraordinary president" and "a man with conviction."
"As far as the fight against drugs goes, Mexico is committed to continue
helping to prevent the entry of chemicals and fentanyl," Lopez Obrador
said. "We're very conscious of the damage it does to the youth of the
United States."
Biden, a Democrat, has grappled with record numbers of migrants
attempting to cross illegally from Mexico since he took office in 2021
and is facing attacks over the issue as he runs for reelection. He also
faces criticism from Republicans for not doing enough to stop fentanyl
coming in from Mexico.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Nov/18/images/ads/current/remington_sda_FFARM_2023.png)
In a readout of the talks, the White House said the two men had "agreed
to sustain and expand the close cooperation that we have achieved in
managing migration" in the region.
"The leaders discussed the need for all countries in the region to do
their part to humanely manage migration," it said.
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![](../images/111823PIX/news_q3.jpg)
U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Mexican President Andres Manuel
Lopez Obrador on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco, California, U.S.,in this
handout picture distributed to Reuters on November 17, 2023. Mexico
Presidency/Handout via REUTERS
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Nov/18/images/ads/current/bennet_lda_010722.png)
Biden also expressed appreciation for the full commitment Lopez
Obrador had made to confront the challenge posed by fentanyl, it
added.
Biden met with President Xi Jinping on Wednesday and they agreed
China would stem the export of items related to the production of
fentanyl, a leading cause of drug overdoses in the United States.
Republicans have criticized Biden for reversing hardline immigration
policies of Republican former President Donald Trump, the
frontrunner for his party's 2024 nomination.
Trump has said he would restore his 2019 "remain in Mexico" program,
which forced non-Mexican asylum-seekers seeking to enter the U.S.
via the Mexican border to wait in Mexico for the resolution of their
cases.
Mexico overtook Canada and China to become the largest U.S. goods
trading partner in the first half of 2023, reaching total trade of
$396.6 billion. In 2022, Mexico had a $130.5 billion goods trade
surplus with the United States.
Biden on Friday will formally transfer the chair of APEC to Peru
President Dina Boluarte.
(Reporting by Jeff Mason and Jarrett Renshaw; additional reporting
by Dave Graham and David LjunggrenEditing by Scott Malone, Cynthia
Osterman and Rosalba O'Brien)
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