Biden Faces Consequences of His Policy Towards Mexico and Latin America

By Armin Sijamić

American President Joseph Biden has fallen into a vicious cycle of problems that have come due up after many years. The latest such case involves migrants from neighboring Mexico who want to enter the United States. Whatever Biden does, Republicans will surely know how to exploit it.

For decades, Mexico was a loyal ally of Washington, precisely implementing what was asked of it. In recent years, this has changed thanks to the leftist president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who often acts on his own, even when it is directly against the interests of the world's largest power, on which his country's economy depends.

But López Obrador is only part of the problem. Washington is also facing the consequences of earlier decisions supported by both Republicans and Democrats. One such decision is the strict sanctions against Cuba and Venezuela, which deter others from cooperating with these two addresses that are hostile to Washington.

Andrés Manuel López Obrador sees sanctions precisely as the main reason why four percent of Cubans (more than half a million) and eight million Venezuelans have left their countries in the last two years and are heading through Mexico towards the United States. In addition to them, millions of others from Central and South America are heading to the United States, and news has emerged in recent days that a "caravan" of more than eight thousand people is moving through Mexico. This year, Mexico has had migrants from as many as 114 nations. Among them are Africans and Asians trying to enter the US.

The Mexican president does not want to blindly obey Washington and does not want to take on the burden of the migrant crisis. The aforementioned caravan was the reason for the visit of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Mexico this week, in order to try to agree on at least a temporary solution with the rebellious president, who is leaving office in September.



Border Control, Sanctions, and Biden

Border control is Biden's weak point. In recent weeks, the entire concept of Biden's policy towards Ukraine has been falling apart, as Republicans demand increased border controls, i.e., preventing illegal migration. Due to the lack of agreement on the border, Ukraine received the last tranche of approved aid from Washington this week. It is unknown when the next tranche will arrive, and Republicans, who control the House of Representatives, are playing with white pieces.

Biden's policy on the border with Mexico has already led him into conflict with Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who has decided to take the president to court, i.e., to challenge his decisions. Previously, Abbott had sent illegal migrants by bus to Vice President Kamala Harris's house and contributed to the collapse of migration policy in New York.

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Biden and the Republican Rebellion: See You in Court, Mr. President

By Armin SijamićIn the shadow of the legal disputes against former US President Donald Trump, another crisis is shaking the world's largest power, threatening to escalate further. At the end of last month, the White House

López Obrador refuses to be the border guard of the United States, shifting responsibility to Washington. Biden's likely challenger in the presidential race, Donald Trump, has already announced the construction of a wall with Mexico, which is certainly an advantage over Biden's policy, which has no plan to prevent millions of illegal migrants from entering the country.

López Obrador goes a step further - he proposes that Washington lift sanctions on Venezuela and Cuba and provide investments in those countries, so that people stay there. But Biden cannot take this step without consequences, as Republicans advocate for punishing leftist regimes across Latin America. If Biden were to reconsider sanctions against China's and Russia's decades-long enemies and allies, Republicans would use it in next year's elections.

Endure Until the Election

Blinken's visit to Mexico brought nothing new; in fact, no plans were announced to the public on how to effectively combat the problem of illegal migration, which has become a major security challenge. On thousands of kilometers of routes, migrants pass through jungles, deserts, cross rivers, several national borders, and through territories controlled by Mexican and other gangs.

Although there is clear evidence that migration policies are changing in the United States and across the West, Blinken's visit to Mexico seemed like a search for a temporary solution, likely awaiting the outcome of the US presidential elections.

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Is the West Announcing the End of Open Doors for Migrants?

By Armin SijamićIn recent weeks, significant changes have occurred in several Western countries regarding the treatment of migration, i.e., the "open door" approach where borders practically do not exist. Even the biggest advocates of "borders without borders" are pos

Until now, the White House has resorted to closing the Eagle Pass, El Paso, and San Ysidro border crossings as part of pressure on the Mexican authorities. The closure of these border crossings last week halted the flow of goods worth two billion dollars, according to Mexico. López Obrador saw this as part of the American election race and called on his neighbors to spare Mexico from such games.

This is a serious blow to the Mexican economy, which is tied to the American market and American companies, and it is unlikely that the United States will resort to this often, especially not at a time when elections are expected in the country.

Meanwhile, migrants are arriving, an average of ten thousand per day. In the last week of November and the first week of December, American authorities stopped over 120,000 migrants from illegally crossing the border. Mexico has a much more difficult task and a lack of political will to solve Biden's problems.
Approximately 960 kilometers of the border with Guatemala pass through the Chiapas jungle and the Suchiate River, and through numerous settlements, with smugglers operating on both sides of the border. In addition, there is the 250-kilometer border between Mexico and Belize. Last year, Mexico recorded almost 40,000 children among migrants, and this year over 62,000.

The development of the situation on the border with Mexico complicates the position of President Biden, who is performing worse than Trump in polls in almost all states that swing between Republicans and Democrats from election to election. Therefore, before the presidential elections in November, Biden needs a miracle to resolve the accumulated crises and regain the support of American voters.