Biden, Mexican President to discuss cooperation on migration, economic growth

WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden will meet Mexican President Andr s Manuel L pez Obrador virtually on Friday as immigration at the border has become a major issue for the Biden administration.

The White House said that the two leaders plan to discuss cooperation on migration, joint development efforts in Central America, competitiveness and economic growth, security, energy, and economic cooperation. They will be talking about the upcoming Summit of the Americas, which the United States will host in June in Los Angeles and will convene leaders from North, South and Central America and the Caribbean.

The meeting Friday came just a few days after a federal judge ordered the Department of Homeland Security to halt its efforts to lift a public health order known as Title 42, issued because of the Covid epidemic, a policy that allows the swift expulsion of migrants at the border with the intent of preventing the spread of Covid.

The administration plans to end the public health order on May 23, but Republicans are focused on the planned repeal as a point of attack on Democrats over immigration as the primaries for the midterm elections are set to begin. They have denounced the attempt to lift the order, with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., visiting the border earlier this week with other GOP lawmakers to speak with Border Patrol agents about the issue.

According to internal Customs and Border Protection data, approximately 8,000 migrants are crossing the southern border each day, which could lead to April to top March's record high for border apprehensions. If Title 42 is lifted, about 12,000 migrants will begin crossing the border, according to the Biden administration. About half of the migrants encountered are turned back across the border and prevented from seeking asylum. When Title 42 is lifted, immigrants will be allowed to live in the United States while they pursue asylum claims, a process that can take between two and four years.

The Biden administration has tried to end a Trump administration policy known as Remain in Mexico that requires people seeking asylum at the southern border from Central and South America to wait for their claims to be decided. The plan drew a lawsuit from Texas and Missouri, which is now pending before the U.S. Supreme Court.