Biden speaks with Mexico’s Obrador as migrant crossings at southern border spike

President Biden spoke with Mexico’s President López Obrador Thursday morning, as migrant crossings continue to spike at the southern border. Mr. Biden has asked Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, and White House Homeland Security Advisor Liz Sherwood-Randall to go to Mexico soon to meet with Obrador. 

Mr. Biden and Obrador agreed that additional enforcement actions are urgently needed in order to reopen key ports of entry, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters after the call. The two men discussed trying to work on getting at the root causes of migration, Kirby said. 

Mr. Biden met with Obrador in person while in California last month, and the two addressed the threats of illicit drugs, like fentanyl, and discussed ways to expand cooperation between U.S. and Mexican law enforcement. Trade relations have been a point of contention for the U.S. and Mexico, and Mr. Biden and Obrador have had a tense relationship at times. 

Last month, in a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Mr. Biden also received new commitments from China to crack down on fentanyl. The U.S. is working with the Chinese on a plan to have China use a number of procedures to pursue companies that make precursors for fentanyl. 

As many as 10,000 migrants have been crossing the southern border each day. Record levels of migrant apprehensions along the southern border are straining federal and local resources, and cities led by Democrats, including New York and Chicago, are struggling to house the increasingly high numbers of migrants. Local officials have been voicing concerns about overwhelmed services. Polling shows a majority of Americans view Mr. Biden’s immigration agenda unfavorably.

Liberal-led cities have grown frustrated with the administration’s response — New York Mayor Eric Adams returned from a recent trip to Washington, D.C., saying, “Help is not on the way.” 

Earlier this week, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill making illegal immigration into his state a state crime, but migrants have continued to flow into the U.S. The law allows Texas officials the ability to arrest and try to deport migrants suspected of crossing the border illegally. 

Camilo Montoya-Galvez contributed to this report.