Immigration: Biden wants “shared responsibility” in Latin American countries

All of our countries have been affected by unprecedented migration, and I believe it is our responsibility to address this issue.said the President of the United States on Thursday, in Los Angeles, where the regional summit was held.

Leaders should adopt a Los Angeles Declaration covers various promises or reminders of past commitments, in terms of receiving migrants and regulating flows.

In this context, the United States will accept 20,000 refugees from Latin America in 2023 and 2024, meaning that, according to American executives, the number of refugees accepted this year will triple.

But it remains far from America’s promise to welcome 100,000 Ukrainians after Russia’s invasion of their country.

The White House also announced on Friday an envelope of 314 million dollars in humanitarian aid, primarily intended for Venezuelan migrants.

More than six million Venezuelans have fled their country, which is in the grip of a very serious economic and social crisis.

Significantly absent

Neither Venezuela, nor Cuba, nor Nicaragua were invited by Washington, which drew strong criticism from some leaders and the outright boycott of Mexican President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador.

Mexico, where the United States has a border of more than 3000 kilometers thousands of people in an irregular situation are trying to cross every day, however sent a delegation to the summit.

Joe Biden stressed that, despite diplomatic tensions, there is a strong desire to work on this very sensitive topic.

The domestic political stakes are huge for the Democratic president: the Republican opposition, hoping to regain control of Congress in midterm elections in the fall, regularly accuses him of laxity when it comes to immigration. .

Washington is asking its partners more effectively guard their bordersto determine people who are not eligible to the right of asylum and to strengthen their procedures in the matter, a senior American official indicated.

The Summit of the Americas, which launched in 1994 in Miami and has not been held in the United States since, is supposed to celebrate a new era in relations on the continent, especially after the setbacks that marked Donald Trump’s presidency.

But it ends, for Americans, on a mixed record.

Joe Biden had a real moment of diplomatic embarrassment on Thursday when the prime minister of Belize and the president of Argentina criticized him for the absence of Cuba and Venezuela, in the middle of the plenary session, as he sat a few meters away. .

Otherwise, the American head of state put on a good face, applauded all interventions, even the most critical ones, and shook hands with concerned leaders as they descended from the stage. He assured that, on the merits, the unit is well between countries on the continent.

He was able to rejoice in the excitement of Mexico and Brazil, which seemed to want to end on a positive note.

Shadow of China

The head of Mexican diplomacy Marcelo Ebrard praised the results very positive. As for Brazil’s far -right President Jair Bolsonaro, where there is no shortage of conflict, he described as unbelievable his presence the other day with Joe Biden and made fun environmental statements, ensuring Brazil could develop its agriculture while maintaining the Amazon.

The United States is concerned about China’s growing influence in a region it has always considered its backyard, and the very strong commercial prospects of all countries, including them, on Beijing.

But the Biden administration has clarified that it will not follow the example of the Chinese, who are synonymous with large investments and large infrastructure projects in Latin America.

An anecdote came to remind us of the omnipresence of China, whose name is hardly mentioned in Los Angeles.

The American Chamber of Commerce thus distributed on the sideline of the summit a blue bag full of gifts that should promote American industry. But it contains, among other things, a water bottle and sunglasses… Made in China.