Officials from the U.S. and Mexico will meet in Washington on Friday to discuss ways to deter illegal migration as pressure increases on the Biden administration to address the issue heading into November’s presidential election.
But neither side expects dramatic progress from Friday’s discussions. The talks, to be attended by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, White House homeland security adviser Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall and Mexico’s Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alicia Bárcena, are an extension of discussions that began in Mexico on Dec. 27, when U.S. officials flew to Mexico amid historic highs in illegal border crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border.
After those conversations, Mexico began deportations of Venezuelans, a top nationality crossing into the U.S., and began interdicting more migrants crossing into Mexico from Guatemala. Those moves, as well as seasonal migration patterns, produced a dramatic plunge in the number of migrants crossing the border at the beginning of the year.
But U.S. officials and other sources familiar with the talks say not to expect deliverables from Friday’s meeting. A senior U.S. administration official who spoke to reporters on Thursday said, “We don’t expect any big announcements tomorrow.” Another senior U.S. official said there will be many more discussions over the next year.
The two sides have laid out clear objectives for what they want out of negotiations going forward, according to sources who spoke to NBC News earlier this month.
Among the priorities for Mexico is getting the U.S. to agree to committing large figures to combat migration by “addressing root causes,” meaning political corruption, violence and poverty in Western Hemisphere countries. A third senior U.S. administration official said Thursday the United States is interested in working with Mexico to address root causes.
Earlier this month, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador publicly called on the U.S. to deploy $20 billion in aid to Latin America and Caribbean countries and to suspend the sanctions on Venezuela, among other requests. At the time, a U.S official said López Obrador had an “ambitious agenda.”
Both U.S. and Mexican officials have emphasized that their ongoing negotiations are not transactional. For example, Mexico would not stop helping the U.S. with immigration if it doesn’t commit to spending $20 billion in the region. Two people familiar with the negotiations said Mexico has its own interest in curbing illegal migration because the flow of northbound migrants affects Mexico as well.
The U.S. is highly dependent on Mexico’s willingness to help, however. As talks continue in Washington this week and throughout the year, Mexico holds a significant amount of leverage.
