First 100 Days U.S.-Mexico Policy Assessment
BY MORIAH TAFOYA
Now that President Biden’s first 100 days in office have come to a close, we assess his early progress in the U.S.-Mexico relationship in the areas of our key recommendations from our First 100 Days Memo on U.S.-Mexico Policy. The COVID-19 pandemic presented (and continues to present) urgent issues for the Biden administration to tackle for the wellbeing of all Americans.
Despite the challenges in other spheres, President Biden, Vice President Harris, and their cabinet officials gave early and symbolic attention to the bilateral relationship between the United States and Mexico from the outset, but there is always more that can be done.
In this spirit, the Council encourages the administration to continue to think of Mexico as a strategic partner in strengthening the North American region and advancing immigration priorities. Furthermore, we support the idea of engaging with Mexico on issues of regional security and trade as well as through cultural and educational exchanges and subnational efforts.
Progress on Recommendation 1: Re-emphasize Washington’s view of Mexico as a key strategic partner
President Biden and Vice President Harris, along with critical Cabinet officials, signaled from the beginning of the administration the importance of the bilateral relationship through formal virtual meetings with President Andres Manuel López Obrador (AMLO), virtual ‘trips’ to the North American region, and the appointment of special envoys essential to the U.S.-Mexico relationship.
During President Biden’s meetings with AMLO, they reviewed bilateral cooperation on migration, COVID-19 response and recovery, and climate change. Additionally, Secretary of State Antony Blinken made his first virtual ‘trip’ to Canada and Mexico. During his trip to Mexico, he met with Mexican counterparts to discuss our bilateral trade relationship, shared security challenges, regional migration, climate change, and other issues of mutual interest. Finally,
Biden’s appointments of former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Roberta Jacobson as lead adviser on the border; Ricardo Zúñiga as Special Envoy for the Northern Triangle; and Vice President Harris to address the root causes of migration show the administration’s dedication to immigration and regional development in cooperation with Mexico.
These actions directly align with the Council’s recommendation to emphasize to key officials the unique importance of U.S.-Mexico relations. The Biden administration took the early symbolic actions to demonstrate its commitment to a strategic partnership with Mexico and now it is time to back these actions up with ongoing cooperation and engagement.
NEXT STEPS: The Biden administration should continue to prioritize collaboration with our southern neighbor. A potential next step and recommendation from our memo is to establish a high-level bilateral forum to facilitate continuous communication and collaboration across different relationship components.
Progress on Recommendation 2: Strengthen the North American region
The Biden administration has taken a hard-line stance towards China, particularly when it comes to trade. Competing in the commercial arena with China will be a challenging task that the United States cannot and should not take on alone. As expressed in our memo, North America is central to U.S. competitiveness, and Mexico can and should play a key role in bringing manufacturing back from China to North America.
Ambassador Katherine Tai was confirmed as the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) on March 17, 2021. Tai met with her Canadian counterpart, Mary Ng, at the end of March, where they discussed the importance of fully implementing the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and agreed “to pursue a USMCA Free Trade Commission meeting with their Mexican counterpart shortly.”
NEXT STEPS: The Pacific Council urges USTR Tai to meet with her Mexican counterpart to discuss opportunities the USMCA provides to further cooperation between the United States and Mexico and bolster the North American region’s competitiveness to counter China.
Progress on Recommendation 3: Strengthen cooperation with Mexico to help advance immigration priorities
Immigration issues were a clear priority for the Biden Administration from the start. On his first day in office, President Biden sent an immigration bill to Congress with proposals for an eight-year pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who meet certain qualifications, and plans to address the deeper root causes of migration, particularly from Central America. A month into Biden’s presidency, the border saw a surge of migrants and unaccompanied minors at the U.S.-Mexico border that needed immediate attention from the administration.
In order to deal with the influx of migrants, President Biden designated Vice President Harris as the White House’s point person to stem the flow of migrants at the border. Also, senior administration officials led by the Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, visited the border region to better understand the situation. These steps lay the groundwork for the Council’s recommendations to prioritize status regularization of protected groups and people who have lived in the United States for an extended time, collaborate with Mexico on development programs for Central America, and work with Mexico to develop a contingency plan for a possible increase in immigration after COVID-19.
NEXT STEPS: As the administration addresses the ongoing crisis at the border, the Council encourages actions that continue to involve Mexico as a central partner in dealing with the situation. Vice President Harris’s recent announcement to visit Mexico and Guatemala to use diplomacy as a means to slow migration at the U.S.-Mexico border is a step in the right direction.
Progress on Recommendation 4: Partner with Mexico on issues beyond security and trade
This recommendation is predicated on maintaining a strong security relationship with Mexico which has not happened. Mexico has experienced record levels of violence in recent years. Yet, prospects for security cooperation between our two countries have declined precipitously over the last several months, especially following the political and diplomatic fallout surrounding the arrest of Mexican General Salvador Cienfuegos in the United States. Both countries’ security forces increasingly view the other as an unreliable partner. Regional security cooperation deserves ongoing attention in addition to collaboration on issues beyond this framing.
Existing programs – like 100,000 Strong in the Americas and the Bilateral Forum on Higher Education, Innovation and Research – provide solid foundations for the Biden administration to build on, but educational and cultural exchanges need a place on the agenda that reflects the importance of the bilateral U.S.-Mexico relationship. The Biden administration needs to show AMLO its alignment on issues that will impact Mexican citizens and benefit populations on both sides of the border through mutual exchange.
NEXT STEPS: Given AMLO’s propensity to focus solely on Mexican affairs in-country, this recommendation is a challenging area to make progress in, particularly in the first 100 days. However, cultural and educational exchange in the bilateral relationship should be a priority for the Biden administration moving forward. In order to be successful, the administration must rely on subnational actors such as mayors, governors, nonprofits, and citizens to amplify the effects of its policies on Mexico.
Conclusion
As we look beyond the first 100 days, the opportunities for U.S.-Mexico collaboration are plenty, especially in the areas of climate change, trade, immigration, COVID-19 response, and regional security. The Pacific Council is committed to monitoring these issues in the bilateral relationship through the first year of the Biden administration. In order to support these recommendations and do our part to improve US-Mexico relations, the Pacific Council Mexico Initiative’s top three focus areas in 2021 are: improving bilateral security, collaboration on China, and improving public health at the border. We will continue to monitor and support the Biden administration’s effort throughout the first year in office.
Footnote
Our memo was distributed to top officials in the following departments: National Security Council, State Department, and Homeland Security.
Recommendations from the Pacific Council in the First 100 Days Memo:
Re-emphasize Washington’s view of Mexico as a key strategic partner
Strengthen the North American region
Strengthen cooperation with Mexico to help advance immigration priorities
Partner with Mexico on issues beyond security and trade
