Statement by Senior Advisor and Chief Spokesperson Symone Sanders on Vice President Kamala Harris’s Bilateral Meeting with President Andrés Manuel López Obrador of Mexico

Today, Vice President Kamala Harris met with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador at the National Palace in Mexico City. The two leaders discussed the United States and Mexico’s shared commitment to a prosperous and secure North America, which is founded on a just and equitable society, broad economic opportunity, and security for all. To this end, they agreed to expand high-level collaboration on bilateral economic and security issues and affirmed a new partnership to work jointly in Central America to address the root causes of migration.

The Vice President announced new U.S. commitments to foster investment in southern Mexico, including loans for affordable housing, support to strengthen rural value chains in cacao, coffee, and eco-tourism, trade and business development missions to support infrastructure projects, and aviation regulatory support to improve efficiencies. The United States has also committed approximately $130 million over the next three years to support Mexican workers’ protections and the implementation of Mexico’s historic labor reform.

The United States and Mexico committed to partner together to address the shared priority of disabling human trafficking and human smuggling organizations that prey on vulnerable individuals.  The United States will also provide forensic training and other capacity building to Mexican law enforcement and Mexico’s National Search Commission in support of Mexico’s efforts to resolve the more than 82,000 cases of missing persons and disappearances, a priority of the López Obrador Administration.

Finally, to address root causes of migration in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, the United States joined Mexico in a new strategic partnership to share information and strategies and co-manage new programs to foster economic opportunity through agricultural development and youth empowerment. The two leaders also agreed to increase cooperation to further secure our borders and ensure orderly immigration.