The top US officials will visit Mexico amid intense negotiations over immigration policy continue on Capitol Hill. Their trip also comes after the closure of rail crossings on the Mexico-Texas border.
US President Joe Biden and Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador spoke on the phone on Thursday and agreed that more border enforcement is needed.
The White House said a high-ranking US delegation would visit Mexico soon to discuss how immigration rules can be enforced at the border.
Biden and Obrador discussed the ongoing "efforts to manage migratory flows," at the border and both agreed that urgent action is needed.
What is the reason for the visit?
The visit by the top US officials to Mexico comes after Washington closed two rail crossings on the Mexico-Texas border this week to limit illegal entries on freight trains.
Business owners in Mexico have warned that the closures are affecting trade. The Mexican Employers' Association described the move as a "failure of migration policy."
Both Biden and Obrador on Thursday agreed that more enforcement is needed at the border so that the crossings can be reopened, Kirby told reporters.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and US Homeland Security advisor Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall are among the US delegation expected to visit Mexico.
The US delegation will meet Obrador and his team in Mexico to discuss how to address the issue of illegal immigration and border enforcement.
"Their visit will really be about getting at the migratory flows and talking to President López Obrador and his team about what more we can do together," Kirby said at a White House briefing.
Meanwhile, Republicans have continued to press Biden's Democrats to introduce major changes to the immigration policy in exchange for approving a package of emergency assistance for Ukraine and Israel.
Source: Dw
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