Since taking office, President Joe Biden has faced challenges in curbing illegal immigration. To address the issue, the President met with officials from 11 other nations in the Americas on Friday, Nov. 3 to focus on shared migration challenges and building economic relationships.
The Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity Leaders’ Summit aims to reduce dependence on China, strengthen the economies of the Western Hemisphere, and better address the needs of millions of migrants.
John Kirby, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications, stated, “Taken as a whole, this two-day summit represents a strong demonstration of the United States’ commitment to work with our partners to take advantage of this once-in-a-generation opportunity to recenter critical global supply chains in the Americas, continue to address our shared migration challenge, and build meaningful economic opportunity across the hemisphere.”
Leaders from Canada, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay, Barbados and Panama were all present.
Countries across the Western Hemisphere have witnessed unprecedented waves of migrants crossing borders, with many heading towards the United States. The dangerous trek through Panama’s Darien Gap, a sprawling roadless jungle connecting South and Central America, has been a major concern for U.S. and international officials.
President Biden outlined the summit’s three-pronged migration strategy:
- Working together to stabilize migrant populations, ensuring that communities welcoming migrants and refugees can afford to support them.
- Renewing and expanding legal pathways to promote safe and orderly migration, including providing worker permits for migrants to contribute to the economy.
- Enforcing immigration laws in humane and effective ways to deter dangerous irregular migration and disrupt traffickers.
Meanwhile, the United States is still grappling with the growing immigration crisis, as cities across the country continue to receive an influx of asylum seekers from various countries. Mayors from some of the nation’s largest cities convened in Washington to request $5 billion in funding for addressing the immigration crisis.
