Mexico will contribute $1.5 billion to southern border infrastructure to improve processing and security, Fox News Digital has learned — a commitment that comes as Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador visited the White House. Lopez Obrador visits Washington, where he met with President Biden in a bilateral meeting. A source familiar with the talks said the $1.5 billion had been pledged by Mexico. It comes as part of a bilateral meeting organized after Lopez Obrador skipped the Summit of the Americas in June following a dispute over which nations were invited. During that summit, the US announced a number of commitments, including hundreds of millions of dollars in aid for refugee and immigration purposes, additional work visas and expanded refugee resettlement. BIDEN, MEETING WITH MEXICAN PRESIDENT, URGES REGIONAL HELP TO STOP BORDER SMUGGLING Mexico signed on to its own pledges — specifically to expand immigration programs and launch a new temporary worker program. President Joe Biden speaks as he meets with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, July 12, 2022. ((AP Photo/Susan Walsh)) On Tuesday, President Biden noted other moves his administration has made on border security, which have been hit by overwhelming border numbers — with more than 239,000 encounters in May alone. He highlighted joint efforts with Mexico to stop human traffickers and an operation launched in April to stop smugglers of both migrants and deadly drugs like fentanyl. “We have has had a major anti-smuggling operation underway since April targeting people, drug and arms smugglers. Toward this effort we have deployed 1,300 additional personnel, conducted 20,000 disruption operations and made over 3,000 arrests, all since April,” he said. Biden also called for more action from the region. BIDEN UNVEILS IMMIGRANT STATEMENT WITH WESTERN HEMISPHERE LEADERS, SUCCEEDS ‘ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION’ “But as you know, Mr. President, we need all countries in the region to join us in tracking this multi-billion dollar smuggling industry that preys on our most vulnerable, including the fifty-three souls who died in a tractor trailer in San Antonio last month,” he said. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador listens as he meets with President Joe Biden in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, July 12, 2022. ((AP Photo/Susan Walsh)) It follows the administration’s approach of viewing immigration as a regional rather than a US-only challenge. This approach was promoted by the Biden administration at the Summit in Los Angeles, where Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris emphasized their focus on addressing the “root causes” in the region and secured the signatures of several countries on a declaration of cooperation on immigration. There, the White House announced that the US was committing to offer 22,500 non-agricultural H-2B visas to Central America and Haiti and resettle 20,000 refugees from America in 2023 and 2024 (tripling from this year). , increase reunification programs for Cubans and Haitians, provide an additional $25 million for an immigration crisis program, and commit $314 million in funding through the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to humanitarian and development assistance for refugees and vulnerable migrants across the hemisphere. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The US also promised to increase the resettlement of Haitian immigrants and develop a new “Fair Employment Practices Directive” for temporary migrant workers, which will be done in partnership with major companies such as Walmart. “This is just the beginning,” Biden said. Much more work remains to state the obvious. Every country must work together to maintain a humane, orderly immigration process. to invest in securing borders, screening and recording migrants entering their countries and repatriating those who do not meet the conditions to stay”. Adam Shaw is a political reporter for Fox News Digital, focusing on immigration. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter: @AdamShawNY
