Migrant Surge Is Top Concern Ahead of Biden Meeting With Mexico’s López Obrador

The leaders will also direct their teams to create a task force to combat criminal organizations and curb the flow of fentanyl, the U.S. officials said, as well as a working group focused on labor, migration pathways and worker protections.

The pair are also slated to discuss the shared economic challenges resulting from the war in Ukraine, as well as energy and climate issues, though the U.S. officials said that migration would be a central focus of the meeting. The Mexican president will also meet with Vice President

Kamala Harris,

who is tasked with addressing the root causes of migration and met with Mr. López Obrador in Mexico last year.

Recent moves by Mr. López Obrador have challenged U.S. goals in the region. In June, he boycotted Mr. Biden’s regional Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles, which encouraged other Latin American leaders to stay away after the U.S. excluded Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela from the meeting. At the summit, the U.S. signed a migration agreement with several Latin American countries, including Mexico, that committed more countries to receiving migrants and providing more pathways for them to live legally.

On July 4, Mr. López Obrador said the U.S. should dismantle the Statue of Liberty if the Biden administration doesn’t drop spying charges against Mr. Assange, who recently appealed his extradition from the U.K. He has said Mexico would grant Mr. Assange asylum if he is freed.

Asked about those comments, White House press secretary

Karine Jean-Pierre

declined to respond directly. “There will be many conversations that will be had,” she said. “And I’m going to leave it at that.”

Senior administration officials later said the charges against Mr. Assange weren’t an issue Mr. Biden would focus on.

Shannon O’Neil,

a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, said such comments from Mr. López Obrador amounted to a missed opportunity for Mexico. “Instead of defining and laying out Mexico’s broad concerns and asks of its neighbor, López Obrador is focused on taunts and provocations,” she said.

The visit to Washington, Mr. López Obrador’s second since Mr. Biden took office, comes after 53 migrants, more than half of them Mexicans, died when they were left in a truck in San Antonio, in one of the deadliest migrant tragedies on U.S. soil.

Mr. López Obrador’s rhetoric contrasts with the cautious tone he used with former President

Donald Trump,

who threatened to impose tariffs on Mexican exports if Mexico didn’t take stronger measures to curb rising migration from Central America. In response, Mr. López Obrador deployed thousands of soldiers and immigration agents to stem the flow of migrants.

In 2020, Mr. López Obrador sent a letter to Mr. Trump asking him to pardon Mr. Assange. The letter wasn’t answered. Mr. López Obrador said he would bring up the subject of Mr. Assange with President Biden. Mr. López Obrador has a fraught relationship with local media critical of his government, but he defends Mr. Assange, whom he calls courageous and “the world’s best journalist of our time” who has been unfairly treated.

He said that if Mr. Assange receives the maximum sentence, which implies he would die in prison, “we have to start the campaign to dismantle the Statue of Liberty…because it’s no longer a symbol of liberty.”

His comments are unlikely to jeopardize bilateral ties or the relationship between the two heads of state, primarily because of Mexico’s leverage over immigration policy, former diplomats say.

“President Biden needs Mexico’s cooperation,” said

John Feeley,

a former U.S. ambassador to Panama who also held senior diplomatic posts in Mexico. Mr. Feeley said he hoped that Mr. Biden would deliver a “strong private message” to Mr. López Obrador raising U.S. concerns.

Thousands of Mexican soldiers and immigration agents break up caravans of migrants and help turn away hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers heading to the U.S. as apprehensions at the U.S. southern border approach a record-high two million this fiscal year.

“Biden is pragmatic. A public rift would not favor Biden and benefit López Obrador domestically,” said

Martha Bárcena,

who served as Mexico’s ambassador to the U.S. from 2018 to 2021. But Mexico is treading a thin red line with his antagonism. “If the U.S. perceives Mexico crossed it, there could be problems,” she added.

Mr. López Obrador said he would bring up an investment plan for southern Mexico and Central America to address the economic roots of migration, and a much awaited program to increase the number of U.S. visas for guest workers from Mexico and Central America to deter illegal migration.

Senior Biden administration officials said they don’t plan to announce additional work visas, adding that the meeting would be more focused on the implementation of existing visa commitments.

Criminal organizations such as Mexico’s Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels are the leading suppliers of fentanyl to the U.S. Last week, Mexican soldiers seized more than half a ton of fentanyl in Sinaloa, a record haul.

Disagreements on energy and Mexico’s commitment to fight climate change, a top priority for the Biden administration, will also be discussed. Mr. López Obrador’s energy agenda—in which he seeks to strengthen the dominant role of Mexico’s state oil company and the public power utility at the expense of private and foreign investors—has led to clashes with U.S. energy companies.

U.S. Trade Representative

Katherine Tai

has expressed concerns about Mexico’s compliance with provisions of USMCA—the trade deal with Mexico and Canada—regarding its energy policies.

“We are unable to ignore the growing group of stakeholders also raising their concerns—from environmental NGOs, members of Congress, business associations, and companies large and small,” Ms. Tai said in a letter to Mexican Economy Minister

Tatiana Clouthier

earlier this year.

A senior Mexican official said trade and investment disagreements over energy policies won’t strain bilateral ties. “Fortunately, we have a predetermined route to solve any difference under the trade deal,” the official said.

—José de Córdoba contributed to this article.

Write to Juan Montes at [email protected] and Tarini Parti at [email protected]

The leaders will also direct their teams to create a task force to combat criminal organizations and curb the flow of fentanyl, the U.S. officials said, as well as a working group focused on labor, migration pathways and worker protections.

The pair are also slated to discuss the shared economic challenges resulting from the war in Ukraine, as well as energy and climate issues, though the U.S. officials said that migration would be a central focus of the meeting. The Mexican president will also meet with Vice President

Kamala Harris,

who is tasked with addressing the root causes of migration and met with Mr. López Obrador in Mexico last year.

Recent moves by Mr. López Obrador have challenged U.S. goals in the region. In June, he boycotted Mr. Biden’s regional Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles, which encouraged other Latin American leaders to stay away after the U.S. excluded Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela from the meeting. At the summit, the U.S. signed a migration agreement with several Latin American countries, including Mexico, that committed more countries to receiving migrants and providing more pathways for them to live legally.

On July 4, Mr. López Obrador said the U.S. should dismantle the Statue of Liberty if the Biden administration doesn’t drop spying charges against Mr. Assange, who recently appealed his extradition from the U.K. He has said Mexico would grant Mr. Assange asylum if he is freed.

Asked about those comments, White House press secretary

Karine Jean-Pierre

declined to respond directly. “There will be many conversations that will be had,” she said. “And I’m going to leave it at that.”

Senior administration officials later said the charges against Mr. Assange weren’t an issue Mr. Biden would focus on.

Shannon O’Neil,

a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, said such comments from Mr. López Obrador amounted to a missed opportunity for Mexico. “Instead of defining and laying out Mexico’s broad concerns and asks of its neighbor, López Obrador is focused on taunts and provocations,” she said.

The visit to Washington, Mr. López Obrador’s second since Mr. Biden took office, comes after 53 migrants, more than half of them Mexicans, died when they were left in a truck in San Antonio, in one of the deadliest migrant tragedies on U.S. soil.

Mr. López Obrador’s rhetoric contrasts with the cautious tone he used with former President

Donald Trump,

who threatened to impose tariffs on Mexican exports if Mexico didn’t take stronger measures to curb rising migration from Central America. In response, Mr. López Obrador deployed thousands of soldiers and immigration agents to stem the flow of migrants.

In 2020, Mr. López Obrador sent a letter to Mr. Trump asking him to pardon Mr. Assange. The letter wasn’t answered. Mr. López Obrador said he would bring up the subject of Mr. Assange with President Biden. Mr. López Obrador has a fraught relationship with local media critical of his government, but he defends Mr. Assange, whom he calls courageous and “the world’s best journalist of our time” who has been unfairly treated.

He said that if Mr. Assange receives the maximum sentence, which implies he would die in prison, “we have to start the campaign to dismantle the Statue of Liberty…because it’s no longer a symbol of liberty.”

His comments are unlikely to jeopardize bilateral ties or the relationship between the two heads of state, primarily because of Mexico’s leverage over immigration policy, former diplomats say.

“President Biden needs Mexico’s cooperation,” said

John Feeley,

a former U.S. ambassador to Panama who also held senior diplomatic posts in Mexico. Mr. Feeley said he hoped that Mr. Biden would deliver a “strong private message” to Mr. López Obrador raising U.S. concerns.

Thousands of Mexican soldiers and immigration agents break up caravans of migrants and help turn away hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers heading to the U.S. as apprehensions at the U.S. southern border approach a record-high two million this fiscal year.

“Biden is pragmatic. A public rift would not favor Biden and benefit López Obrador domestically,” said

Martha Bárcena,

who served as Mexico’s ambassador to the U.S. from 2018 to 2021. But Mexico is treading a thin red line with his antagonism. “If the U.S. perceives Mexico crossed it, there could be problems,” she added.

Mr. López Obrador said he would bring up an investment plan for southern Mexico and Central America to address the economic roots of migration, and a much awaited program to increase the number of U.S. visas for guest workers from Mexico and Central America to deter illegal migration.

Senior Biden administration officials said they don’t plan to announce additional work visas, adding that the meeting would be more focused on the implementation of existing visa commitments.

Criminal organizations such as Mexico’s Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels are the leading suppliers of fentanyl to the U.S. Last week, Mexican soldiers seized more than half a ton of fentanyl in Sinaloa, a record haul.

Disagreements on energy and Mexico’s commitment to fight climate change, a top priority for the Biden administration, will also be discussed. Mr. López Obrador’s energy agenda—in which he seeks to strengthen the dominant role of Mexico’s state oil company and the public power utility at the expense of private and foreign investors—has led to clashes with U.S. energy companies.

U.S. Trade Representative

Katherine Tai

has expressed concerns about Mexico’s compliance with provisions of USMCA—the trade deal with Mexico and Canada—regarding its energy policies.

“We are unable to ignore the growing group of stakeholders also raising their concerns—from environmental NGOs, members of Congress, business associations, and companies large and small,” Ms. Tai said in a letter to Mexican Economy Minister

Tatiana Clouthier

earlier this year.

A senior Mexican official said trade and investment disagreements over energy policies won’t strain bilateral ties. “Fortunately, we have a predetermined route to solve any difference under the trade deal,” the official said.

—José de Córdoba contributed to this article.

Write to Juan Montes at [email protected] and Tarini Parti at [email protected]