by Anne Wakefield
Then President-elect Barack Hussein Obama meets in Washington with Mexican President Felipe Calderón
Mexico President Felipe Calderón made the most of his July 12-13 visit to Washington, sharing his visions and needs with two U.S. Presidents (one about to be inaugurated, another packing his bags), key Capitol Hill legislators and The Washington Post.
Following a tradition since 1980 of Mexico presidents meeting every four years with U.S. Presidents-elect before they’re sworn in, Calderón met first with Barack Obama.
At the session, Obama expressed his commitment to advance cooperation on a range of issues, including security, the economy and immigration. He underscored his commitment to work with Congress to fix the broken U.S. immigration system and foster safe, legal and orderly migration.
On trade and the economy, Obama proposed creation of a consultative group to work on a host of issues, including NAFTA, energy and infrastructure. He committed to upgrading NAFTA‘s labor and environmental provisions.
Obama applauded steps Calderón has taken to improve security in Mexico, expressing support for the Mérida Initiative and efforts in the border states in both the United States and Mexico to eradicate drug-related violence and stop the flow of guns and cash.
He said he intends to ask the Secretary of Homeland Security to lead an effortto increase information sharing to strengthen those efforts. He pledged to take more effective action to stem the flow of arms from the United States. Obama noted that his economic recovery plan includes substantial investments for port of entry modernization and improvements on the Mexican border to facilitate legal trade and commerce.
The meeting was held over lunch at the Mexican Cultural Institute in Washington, D.C. It lasted for one and a half hours.
America’s Voice director Frank Sharry observed, “Obama clearly understands that a close, working relationship with Mexico is a foreign policy imperative.
The best way to reduce migration pressures is to bolster job creation and the economic base of Mexico while legalizing the undocumented population in the United States.
“The meeting is yet another signal that immigration reform is a priority for the incoming administration,” he said, Hispanic Link.
