By Juan Hernandez
For the first time since being elected president of the United States, Joe Biden will set foot on Mexican territory when he attends the North American Summit. Celestina Téllez Nava, a representative of a migrant club from the municipality of Valle de Santiago, Guanajuato, will have inaugurated the construction of a cobbled street in her community. Biden will attend the diplomatic discussion in January with the president of Mexico and the prime minister of Canada. They will iron out rough edges on the topic of energy and discuss other relevant issues.
As for Celestina, she sees the fruit of the work carried out with her migrant club Magdalena de Araceo in a way that benefits her neighbors. “Teamwork changes lives, Mr. Juan,” Celestina told me, after cutting the ribbon for this project, built with the combined efforts of migrants and the government. I am sure that these words would go down wonderfully as an appetizer at the meeting of Biden, López Obrador, and Trudeau.
The North American Summit comes at a good moment. Although the presidents of the United States and Mexico have had several phone calls and exchanged letters, this will only be the second time they will meet in person. Many media analysts view this relationship as cold and distant. In one of his morning conferences, President López Obrador was questioned about the friction that broke out with the American Union and Canada over his energy policy proposal. «Relations with the United States government are very good, and we do not want a lawsuit,» the president replied. In this sense, if we had the opportunity to attend one of the famous «mornings» prior to the summit, what would we ask the president about the meeting with his counterparts?
Many migrant leaders, for example, question when the long-awaited immigration reform will be achieved, especially now that, with the upcoming suspension of Title 42 in the United States, the mobilization of people is expected to increase. The Department of Homeland Security estimates that up to 14,000 migrants will try to cross the border every day, more than double the current rate. The suspension of Title 42 becomes a powerful magnet for more migrants to seek the American dream. This puts Mexico on alert, specialists say, as it is a land of migrants of origin, transit, destination, and return.
Although migration is not the only issue that will be addressed at the North American Summit, it does represent an unbeatable opportunity to make consensual decisions that help achieve safe, organized, and normalized mobilization. Let’s not lose sight of the fact that the problems in Latin American countries have worsened in recent years, such as the coup in Peru last week. These government crises cause the expulsion of thousands of people who mobilize in caravans seeking to find the solution to their nightmares in the “American dream.” In other words, migration in North America no longer bears the “made in Mexico” label. The Department of Homeland Security estimates that 40% of people who cross the border come from countries other than Mexico such as Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and now Venezuela.
Let’s hope that the “trilateral good wishes” materialize at the next North American Summit. Meanwhile, the issue of migration must continue to be addressed in the states, as dictated by the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration. At the National Coordination of State Offices for Migrant Assistance (CONOFAM) we are promoting a new vision that involves the talent, experience, and will of the 32 entities of the republic.
In Guanajuato, for example, we fulfill the mandate of our governor Diego Sinhue to integrate and dignify migrants, whether they are from Guanajuato or from any other country, because their rights are universal, and it is our conviction to enforce them. Likewise, at CONOFAM, we are very aware of the impact that Mexican migrants have on the economic, cultural, and political dynamics of our country. Today there is a great debate about how to facilitate the vote of migrants from abroad, which could be allowed just by presenting the consular registration, something that could be defining in the 2024 election.
We know the importance that the North American Summit will have on economic, logistical, and health issues. However, this relevance is greater when we talk about the Mexico-United States relationship. We not only share a border, but we are also part of a binational culture in which millions of Mexicans and Americans live together, exchange traditions, and wish to prosper together. Joe Biden’s visit to Mexico will go down in history for stepping on migrant land for the first time as president. I hope that the agreements do not remain only in diplomatic embraces but strengthen what we do in the states. For now, Celestina and the members of her migrants’ club decorate her cobbled street with Christmas motifs. They will receive her countrymen for the holidays and enjoy this finished work that they helped build from afar.
And you, what do you think of the North American Summit?
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