Today, President López Obrador will hold a virtual meeting with the Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris.
Because of the responsibilities that President Biden has given Kamala, her role as vice president transcends the usual functions of that figure.
Among other things, he made her responsible for solving the immigration problem, which is perhaps one of the most important and complex of all the challenges faced by the Biden administration today.
So today’s meeting will be far from being a courtesy meeting.
And, taking advantage of the occasion, some of the oil industry leaders of the US made themselves visible yesterday, showing their concern with the legal reforms that have recently been carried out.
But let’s start with migration.
On this issue, the governments of Mexico and the United States have a coincidence and a difference.
They agree that the basic solution to the migration problem is to generate economic development and increase security. Only then will Central Americans stay in their country without trying to reach the United States through Mexico.
They differ in how to promote development. For the US government, private investment in the region is key, while President López Obrador wants to push the Sembrando Vida program to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.
But, there is another difference.
For the United States, development implies democracy, and acts like the one recently orchestrated by President Bukele of El Salvador, who, through the Assembly, removed the judges of the Constitutional Court, are of great concern to the Biden administration.
Kamala said: “An independent judicial system is critical to achieving a healthy democracy and a strong economy,” expressing her concern about the events in El Salvador.
Do you think that in Mexico the government has expressed any concern about this fact?
Bingo!, you guessed it. None. But the Association of Judges and Magistrates in Mexico did express its solidarity with the Salvadoran judges.
Obviously, there will be no explicit pronouncement from Harris regarding the extension of the constitutional term of Minister Zaldívar, but the Mexican government already knows how the Biden administration thinks.
In case something was missing to generate a short circuit between the visions of the two governments, yesterday the President of the Republic indicated that if it was found that US government agencies were contributors to the organization Mexicans against Corruption and Impunity, a diplomatic note would be sent. to the United States government.
If the government reached that point, I think the problems with the Biden administration would grow, because for years the US government has contributed, through vehicles such as the embassy itself or USAID, to dozens of civil organizations in Mexico and many others. countries, which is perfectly legal.
The other open front is the economic one. Yesterday, the American Petroleum Institute (API), which is the main association of companies in this sector, asked the Biden government to intercede with the Mexican government to comply with its commitments signed in the TMEC, therefore, to their judgment, legal reforms on the matter undermine them.
They are not the only ones nor will they be the last to demand compliance with the terms established in the treaty.
Today’s will not be an easy conversation, although to take care of the forms, photos will be disseminated in which everyone comes out smiling, and there will be a statement regarding the constructiveness of the conversations, prior to the face-to-face trip of the vice president in June.
We had anticipated it many times, but it will begin to be seen that the relationship with the Biden administration is going to be tough for the AMLO government ... to say the least.