<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mexico" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mexico</a>’s president blamed “a lack of love” in American families for the deadly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/fentanyl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fentanyl</a> crisis ravaging the U.S. 
President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/andres-manuel-lopez-obrador" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador</a> said in a Friday news conference that the deterioration of values in American households has caused the drug crisis that claimed 70,000 American lives last year. 
“There is a lot of disintegration of families, there is a lot of individualism, there is a lack of love, of brotherhood, of hugs and embraces,” López Obrador said, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/mexico-lopez-obrador-fentanyl-united-states-drugs-3545ba238c3ea3aef4157de94b45705e" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the Associated Press. “That is why they (U.S. officials) should be dedicating funds to address the causes.”
The Mexican president has <a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/03/10/1162584753/president-obrador-disputes-mexico-fentanyl-crisis-republicans-outraged" target="_blank" rel="noopener">denied</a> that fentanyl is produced in Mexico and said that people in his country don’t consume the drug, but <a href="https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2020-03/DEA_GOV_DIR-008-20%20Fentanyl%20Flow%20in%20the%20United%20States_0.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Mexican transnational criminal organizations are “increasingly producing wholesale quantities of illicit fentanyl pills and smuggling them into the United States.” The DEA said that Mexico’s two largest cartels, the Sinaloa and the New Generation Jalisco, “are likely the primary trafficking groups responsible for smuggling fentanyl into the United States from Mexico.”
In December, Customs and Border Protection <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/train-caught-at-border-transporting-over-700000-fentanyl-pills" target="_blank" rel="noopener">caught</a> a train heading into Arizona from Mexico transporting 700,000 fentanyl pills. The DEA reported that 50.6 million fake prescription pills laced with fentanyl and 10,000 pounds of fentanyl powder had been found in the U.S. last year.
López Obrador’s deflection and criticism of the U.S. comes after he threatened to meddle in American elections after Republican politicians called for using the U.S. military to go after Mexico’s powerful drug cartels. Controversy around the issue erupted after four Americans were <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/two-americans-kidnapped-in-mexico-found-dead" target="_blank" rel="noopener">kidnapped</a> by a cartel in Mexico last week and two of them were murdered. 
“Starting today, we are going to initiate an information campaign (aimed at) Mexicans who live and work in the United States, and all Hispanics, to inform them about what we are doing in Mexico and how this initiative from the Republicans, besides being irresponsible, is an offense against the people on Mexico,” López Obrador said at a press conference last week. 
“A lack of respect for our independence, for our sovereignty,” he continued. “And if they do not change their attitude and think that they are going to use Mexico for their propagandist, electioneering, and (dirty) political purposes, we are going to call for them not to vote for that party, (due to its being) interventionist, inhumane, hypocritical, and corrupt.”

Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador

Mexico’s President Blames American Families For Fentanyl Crisis: ‘Lack Of Love,’ ‘Hugs’

Mexico's President Blames American Families For Fentanyl Crisis

Crime

Drug Cartels

Drugs

Fentanyl

Mexico

U.S.

Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) said during an interview on Sunday that when he approached President Joe Biden about using the U.S. military to take out Mexican drug cartels, the president rebuffed him and said that it was a &#8220;bad idea.&#8221;
Kennedy made the remarks on &#8220;Fox News Sunday&#8221; with host Shannon Bream when discussing former Attorney General William Barr&#8217;s recent <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-us-must-defeat-mexicos-drug-cartels-narco-terrorism-amlo-el-chapo-crenshaw-military-law-enforcement-b8fac731">op-ed</a> in The Wall Street Journal urging the Biden administration to use the military against the cartels.
“Look, the cartels, we know who they are,” Kennedy said. “They are killing Americans on both sides of the border. And the fact is that the American military could partner with the Mexican military and the Mexican police, and we could wipe out the cartels.”
“But President Lopez Obrador in Mexico refuses to do that. And when Senator [Lindsey] Graham and I talked about the issue this year, this week rather, President Biden said it’s a bad idea. And the truth is that President Biden believes in open borders, but the cartels don’t seem to bother him. And President Lopez Obrador can answer for himself, but I don’t get why he would turn down American help with killing cartels that are killing our people.”
WATCH:
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John Kennedy

Senator John Kennedy: Biden Told Me ‘It’s A Bad Idea’ To Use The Military To Take Out Mexican Cartels

Senator John Kennedy: Biden Told Me 'It's A Bad Idea' To Use The Military To Take Out Mexican Cartels

Congress

Executive

Joe Biden

Politics

U.S. Military

Leftist Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, also known as AMLO, threatened the Republican Party during a press conference on Thursday for wanting to use the U.S. military to destroy the nation&#8217;s powerful multi-billion dollar drug cartels.
Obrador&#8217;s remarks come as Republican lawmakers and top former officials, like former Attorney General William Barr, have called for using the U.S. military in recent weeks to put an end to the billions of dollars worth of drugs pouring into the U.S., which are responsible for tens of thousands of deaths per year. The cartels made $13 billion last year from human smuggling alone.
The remarks from lawmakers come after four Americans were kidnapped in Mexico this week and two of them ended up being murdered.
&#8220;We establish our position at once: we are not going to allow any foreign government to intervene, much less the armed forces of a foreign government, to intervene in our territory,&#8221; he declared at a press conference. &#8220;And starting today, we are going to initiate an information campaign (aimed at) Mexicans who live and work in the United States, and all Hispanics, to inform them about what we are doing in Mexico and how this initiative from the Republicans, besides being irresponsible, is an offense against the people on Mexico.&#8221;
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&#8220;A lack of respect for our independence, for our sovereignty,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;And if they do not change their attitude and think that they are going to use Mexico for their propagandist, electioneering, and (dirty) political purposes, we are going to call for them not to vote for that party, (due to its being) interventionist, inhumane, hypocritical, and corrupt.&#8221;
&#8220;Because we do not accept what this senator said yesterday,&#8221; he said as he wagged his finger. &#8220;Mexico is to be respected. We are not a protectorate of the United States. Nor a colony of the United States. Mexico is a free, independent, and sovereign country.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Most news media covering AMLO&#39;s response to Graham/Crenshaw failed to mention the part where AMLO threatens to campaign against Republicans. <a href="https://t.co/1csSU419As">pic.twitter.com/1csSU419As</a>
&mdash; Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) <a href="https://twitter.com/BonillaJL/status/1633992508001624064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 10, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ted-cruz-highlights-how-much-mexican-drug-cartels-have-grown-as-a-result-of-bidens-policies">Ted Cruz Highlights How Much Mexican Drug Cartels Have Grown As A Result Of Biden’s Policies</a>

North American Leaders’ Summit – Media Message

Mexico’s President Threatens To Meddle In U.S. Elections To Beat Republicans: ‘Corrupt’ To Stop Cartels

Global Politics

Southern Border

World

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who is commonly referred to as AMLO, posted a photo to social media over the weekend that he claims shows what is effectively a mystical elf found living in nature.
“I share two photos of our supervision of the Mayan Train works,” the president tweeted in Spanish on Saturday. “One, taken by an engineer three days ago, apparently from an aluxe. Another, by Diego Prieto of a splendid pre-Hispanic sculpture in Ek Balam. Everything is mystical.”
AMLO did not appear to be joking with the social media post claiming that an “Aluxe” was spotted. The Associated Press <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/02/26/mexico-president-photo-mythological-elf/11354835002/">noted</a> that an Aluxe is a mischievous woodland spirit in Mayan folklore.
There photo that AMLO shared claiming was an &#8220;Aluxe&#8221; was taken during the night and allegedly shows something or someone looking at the person taking the photo.
The report noted that AMLO has long expressed beliefs in folksy myths that have no basis in reality.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Les comparto dos fotos de nuestra supervisión a las obras del Tren Maya: una, tomada por un ingeniero hace tres días, al parecer de un aluxe; otra, de Diego Prieto de una espléndida escultura prehispánica en Ek Balam. Todo es místico. <a href="https://t.co/Tr5OP2EqmU">pic.twitter.com/Tr5OP2EqmU</a>
&mdash; Andrés Manuel (@lopezobrador_) <a href="https://twitter.com/lopezobrador_/status/1629617208899895296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2023</a></blockquote>
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The tweet comes as AMLO faces large-scale <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/26/world/americas/mexico-protest-amlo.html">protests</a> of over 100,000 people in Mexico over new laws that could weaken the country&#8217;s elections.
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The new law makes changes to the system that AMLO claims will save the country millions of dollars while opponents say that the changes could make it easier for elections to be rigged. AMLO faces re-election next year.

President Lopez Obrador Meets Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

Mexico’s President Shares Photo Of What He Claims Is A Mystical Elf Found In The Wild

Mexico&#8217;s leftist president <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/andres-manuel-lopez-obrador" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Andrés Manuel López Obrador</a> appears to be abandoning his &#8220;hugs not bullets&#8221; approach to dealing with Mexico&#8217;s violent <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/crime" target="_blank" rel="noopener">crime</a> problem that is fueled by the country&#8217;s notorious drug cartels.
AMLO&#8217;s shift in thinking was made apparent this week when surreal images emerged of thousands of Mexican soldiers conducting a large-scale <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/3500-mexican-soldiers-execute-operation-to-arrest-el-chapos-son-dozens-killed-and-wounded-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">operation</a> to capture Ovidio Guzmán López, the son of notorious Sinaloa drug cartel leader Joaquín Guzmán Loera, who is also known as “El Chapo.”
The operation was so large in scale because the last time that the Mexican military captured Ovidio Guzmán in 2019, they were forced to let him go after hundreds of heavily armed cartel gunmen threatened to murder families and overrun the soldiers.
AMLO&#8217;s initial thinking reflected the thinking of some in the U.S. who believe that the war on drugs is ineffective and who do not want to escalate violent confrontations with criminal organizations.
Raúl Benítez, a security expert at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, told The Wall Street Journal that this latest action marks an end to that way of thinking by Mexico&#8217;s president.
“López Obrador is leaving behind that stuff about hugs, not bullets,” he said. “It shows that such an anticrime strategy didn’t work and is not viable.”
Ten soldiers were killed during the 3,500-man operation in addition to 19 members of the cartel with 35 soldiers sustaining gunshot injuries. Nearly two dozen cartel members were arrested, and numerous .50-caliber weapons were seized, along with dozens of rifles, and more than two dozen armored vehicles.
A U.S. official told the Journal that while “things have improved … there is still a fair amount of suspicion on both sides.&#8221;
Last summer, Infamous Mexican cartel kingpin Rafael Caro Quintero, who murdered a U.S. federal agent in 1985, was captured by an <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/mexico-captures-drug-lord-rafael-caro-quintero-convicted-in-killing-of-dea-agent-11657919154" target="_blank" rel="noopener">elite</a> Mexican military unit after being on the run for nearly a decade.
“Caro Quintero helped a lot, this will help a lot,” the U.S. official said.
Quintero was sentenced to 40 years in prison for the murder of DEA agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, but was let out after 28 years because a judge in Mexico ruled that he should have been tried in a federal court, not a state court.
When Mexican officials attempted to retry the case, Quintero went into hiding and remained on the run for almost 10 years.
With a $20 million price tag on his head from the U.S. government, Quintero reportedly reassembled his drug cartel shortly after being let out of prison.
However, a person who makes fentanyl for the drug cartels <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/mexico-boosts-military-presence-after-son-of-drug-kingpin-el-chapo-is-captured-11673021035" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the Journal that this latest major arrest changes nothing.
“There won’t be any more violence if the government doesn’t go any further,” he said. “The cartel will continue the same with minor adjustments.”

MEXICO-DRUGS-VIOLENCE-GUZMAN-ARREST

Mexico’s Leftist President Abandons ‘Hugs Not Bullets’ Approach To Crime: ‘Didn’t Work And Is Not Viable’

Mexico's Leftist President Abandons 'Hugs Not Bullets' Approach To Crime: 'Didn’t Work And Is Not Viable'

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador jabbed at President Joe Biden during an Oval Office meeting on Tuesday, noting that American citizens had been crossing the southern border in order to buy gas at a cheaper price.
<a href="https://dailywire.com/news/mexicos-president-touts-biden-on-immigration-as-another-caravan-begins-trek-to-southern-border/">López Obrador</a>, according to several sources, treated Biden to a lengthy speech when they met at the White House. He covered a range of topics, calling for more formal policies with regard to immigration and ribbing Biden over the high <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/the-view-hosts-lob-softballs-at-wh-press-secretary-ask-just-two-questions-about-inflation-and-gas-prices/">cost of gas</a> in the United States.
&#8220;Extraordinary — AMLO has been speaking for 25 minutes in the Oval, offering Biden a lengthy soliloquy about the New Deal, gas prices, and opportunities for greater economic collaboration,&#8221; Los Angeles Times White House reporter Eli Stokols tweeted. &#8220;He is still going &#8230;&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Most awkward part was when AMLO told Biden Mexico is letting Americans cross the border to buy gas because it’s $1 cheaper per gallon. 
Biden, when he finally finished after 31 minutes, reminded him that the US economic growth is leading the world. 
And scene.
&mdash; Eli Stokols (@EliStokols) <a href="https://twitter.com/EliStokols/status/1546891223562067973?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 12, 2022</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Most awkward part was when AMLO told Biden Mexico is letting Americans cross the border to buy gas because it&#8217;s $1 cheaper pier gallon,&#8221; he added. &#8220;Biden, when he finally finished after 31 minutes, reminded him that the U.S. economic growth is leading the world. And scene.&#8221;
López Obrador&#8217;s administration moved to <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-06-14/amlo-pumps-up-subsidies-to-keep-mexican-fuel-prices-stable#xj4y7vzkg">subsidize gasoline</a> several weeks ago in an effort to keep prices stable amid rampant inflation — and the resulting prices at the pump have been lower than those in the United States.
&#8220;While we&#8217;re waiting for prices or gasoline to go down in the United States, we have decided that it was necessary for us to allow Americans who live close to the border &#8230; to go and get their gasoline on the Mexican side at lower prices,&#8221; he told Biden.
López Obrador concluded his remarks with a call for better policies at the U.S.-Mexico border, saying that Biden should move forward despite opposition from conservatives.
&#8220;It is indispensable for us to regularize and give certainty to migrants that for years have lived and worked in a very honest manner,&#8221; he said, adding, &#8220;I know that your adversaries the conservatives are going to be screaming all over the place. Even to the heaven they&#8217;re going to be yelling.&#8221;
Relations between the U.S. and Mexico have been somewhat strained in recent weeks — López Obrador <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/06/06/mexican-president-summit-of-the-americas-00037378">boycotted</a> last month&#8217;s Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles after the Biden Administration did not invite Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua to participate due to the authoritarian nature of their governments.
&#8220;There cannot be a summit if all countries are not invited,&#8221; López Obrador said at the time.
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President Biden Meets Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador

Mexican President Brags About Letting Americans Cross The Border For Cheaper Gas — During Oval Office Meeting

Mexican President Brags About Letting Americans Cross The Border For Cheaper Gas

Gas Prices

As about 2,000 Central American and Haitian migrants are headed toward the U.S.-Mexico border Mexico’s president praised Biden for having “a clear and certain commitment to improve the situation&#8221; of migrants.  
According <a href="https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/New-migrant-caravan-begins-in-southern-Mexico-16631747.php">to</a> The Associated Press, “About 2,000 mostly Central American and Haitian migrants made up the latest attempted caravan. They walked out of Tapachula in a boisterous show carrying their belonging in small knapsacks or in bundles atop their heads.”
A large number of children are also part of the northbound caravan, as several migrants told reporters that the asylum process is taking too long. One migrant said he left his country because of its economy, high crime, and food shortages. 
“My country is in the worst economic, crime, hunger situation,” he said. “There are no studies, no education for the kids. That’s why my wife and I decided to try to achieve our objective.”
Not all say that they are headed toward the U.S. At least one migrant <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/seeking-strength-numbers-us-bound-migrants-gather-southern-mexico-2021-11-18/">told</a> a reporter he was going to look for work in Mexico City, according to Reuters.
Biden <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/11/18/biden-says-migrant-crisis-is-not-real-focus-in-summit-with-mexico-president-amlo/">met</a> with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador in a meeting in which Obrador praised Biden and advocated for loosening up immigration policy. 
“President Biden, no president in the history of the United States has expressed as you have such a clear and certain commitment to improve the situation of the migrants and thus I wish to express my acknowledgment,” he said. 
Mexico’s president also referenced Biden’s <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/27/us/biden-undocumented-immigrants-citizenship.html">plan</a> to grant citizenship to roughly 11 million illegal aliens. 
He said, “And I particularly refer to your proposal to regulate the migratory status of 11 million people who live and work honestly in this great nation. I hope that you have the support of Congress and the members of both Democrat and Republican parties.”
According to the New York Post, one administration official said, prior to the meetings with Obrador and Trudeau, that borders would not be “a real focus” at the talks. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that keeping down the influx of people at the border would be brought up at the meeting. 
“Migration, addressing the root causes, ensuring we’re doing it in a humane way, but reducing the number of people who are coming to the border will be part of the discussion,” Psaki said. 
On Friday, the House passed Biden’s nearly two trillion dollar social spending plan, <a href="https://businessjournaldaily.com/bidens-1-85t-social-and-climate-measure-passes-house-whats-inside/">which</a> included provisions regarding illegal immigrants who entered the U.S. before January 2, 2011 and have not left since.
Providing they pay an administrative leave and pass background checks, they can be given five-year parole status, which could be renewed. With parole status, recipients can  get “authorization to travel and work in the U.S. and deems them eligible for a Real ID-compliant driver’s license or a state identification card.”
The bill will now head to the senate, where it will most likely need all 50 Democrat senators to back it. House Progressive Caucus head Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2021/11/19/democrats-social-spending-bill-passes-house-523026">expects</a> the bill to pass &#8220;quickly&#8221; in the senate.
“I hope the Senate passes this very quickly. But then the big work is to get out there and get it done, actually implement it and talk about it and let people know what&#8217;s coming,” she said.

President Biden Hosts Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau And Mexican President AMLO

Mexico’s President Touts Biden On Immigration As Another Caravan Begins Trek North

Immigration

A migrant caravan making its way from Mexico’s southern border to the United States was reportedly broken up by Mexican border agents and police in riot gear on Sunday morning.
The Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/mexico-caribbean-immigration-f5ec13f73e502f3ae9c09242cd00f2af">reported</a>, “The group of about 800 – largely Central Americans, Haitians, Venezuelans and Cubans – had spent the night at a basketball court near Huixtla, some 40 kilometers (25 miles) up the road from the border city of Tapachula where they had been kept awaiting processing by Mexican immigration officials.”
<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/mexican-officials-cut-off-new-migrant-caravan-breaking-up-main-group-2021-09-05/">According</a> to Reuters, which reported that the caravan was made up of around 400 people, members of Mexico’s National Guard and National Institute of Migration surrounded the group at about 5 a.m. local time on the edge of Huixtla.
“In the ensuing commotion, some parents in the caravan…were separated from their children as the officials sought to intercept migrants who ran for the banks of the River Huixtla,” the outlet reported.
Hundreds of migrants reportedly escaped authorities and hid in vegetation near the river. Some alleged that law enforcement used excessive force as they raided the caravan. Several people were detained. It was at least the fourth such group forced to disperse by Mexican security forces in a week.
Recently, thousands of migrants have crossed Mexico’s southern border, many of whom say they are fleeing violence and poverty. President Andres Manuel López Obrador said he wanted them to remain in southern Mexico but acknowledged last week that the strategy was unsustainable.
“We can’t just be detaining; the causes must be addressed,” he <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/mexico-president-detaining-containing-migrants-not-enough-rcna1880">said</a> during a press conference. “It’s not advisable to just root the immigration plan in containment, it’s shaky.”
López Obrador has requested the Biden administration help the migrants find work. He has also <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/mexico-president-detaining-containing-migrants-not-enough-rcna1880">suggested</a> the U.S. government fund programs that he claims could create hundreds of thousands of jobs in Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador.
More details from the AP:
<blockquote>Thousands of mostly Haitian migrants stuck in Tapachula have increasingly protested in recent weeks. Many have been waiting there for months, some up to a year, for asylum requests to be processed.
Mexico’s refugee agency has been overwhelmed. So far this year, more than 77,000 people have applied for protected status in Mexico, 55,000 of those in Tapachula, where shelters are full.
Unable to work legally and frustrated by the delay and poor conditions, hundreds have set out north.</blockquote>
<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/mexican-president-write-biden-urging-work-visas-migrants-2021-09-02/">According</a> to Reuters, “Lopez Obrador has been in talks with U.S. officials ahead of a high-level economic dialogue scheduled for Sept. 9 in Washington,” where “immigration is expected to be on the agenda.”
The U.S. Supreme Court recently reinstated President Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy, which requires some foreign nationals seeking to enter America through its southern border to wait in Mexico while U.S. officials process their asylum applications.
Related:
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<li><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/report-biden-aides-privately-relieved-courts-reinstated-remain-in-mexico-policy-amid-border-crisis">Report: Biden Aides Privately ‘Relieved’ Courts Reinstated ‘Remain In Mexico’ Policy Amid Border Crisis</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-admin-lost-contact-with-thousands-of-migrant-kids-feds-investigating-whether-teen-migrants-were-released-to-traffickers">Biden Admin Lost Contact With ‘Thousands’ Of Migrant Kids, Feds Investigating Whether Teen Migrants Were Released To Traffickers</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/health-officials-in-mexico-vaccinate-migrants-and-asylum-seekers-waiting-at-tijuana-border">Health Officials In Mexico Vaccinate Migrants And Asylum Seekers Waiting At Tijuana Border</a></li>
</ul>

MEXICO-US-MIGRATION-CARAVAN

Mexican Authorities Break Up New Caravan Of Hundreds Of Migrants Headed To U.S.

Border Crisis

Migrants

Mexico&#8217;s election on Sunday, the largest in the nation&#8217;s history, was marred by political violence that led to the deaths of nearly 100 politicians, which is not even the most violent election cycle in the nation&#8217;s history.
&#8220;Security consultancy Etellekt said 97 politicians had been killed and 935 were attacked,&#8221; Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/man-throws-severed-head-voting-station-mexico-authorities-find-hands-2021-06-06/">reported</a>. &#8220;Security analysts said most electoral violence tends to occur at the municipal level, where gangs exert pressure to influence the outcome in the hope of securing more control over drug trafficking and other criminal rackets.&#8221;
The election saw more than 93 million voters elect officials to more than 21,000 officials to office in governorships in most states, all 500 members of the lower house of Congress, members of the 30 state legislatures, and 78% of municipal governments.
CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/05/americas/mexico-election-violence-intl/index.html">reports</a>:
<blockquote>But despite its size, this elections is, in many respects, about a single man: current President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. López Obrador is not on the ballot, but Mexican analysts, experts, a former President and a former presidential candidate consulted by CNN say the elections amount to a referendum on the 67-year-old President, a populist, leftist political veteran and former Mexico City mayor who won the presidency in 2018 on his third attempt.
Lopez Obrador came to power promising &#8220;hugs, not gunshots,&#8221; but has so far failed to curb gun violence in Mexico. A wave of political assassinations has shaken the current campaign season leading up to the June 6 election in a country already devastated by organized crime turf wars for most of the last two decades.</blockquote>
&#8220;The country is at peace. It&#8217;s being governed. There are no risks of instability,&#8221; López Obrador said Tuesday. &#8220;We are facing the scourge of violence every day.&#8221;
Just a couple of years ago, the number of politicians in Mexico who were murdered during the nation&#8217;s elections soared to well over 100.
Border and cartel expert Robert Arce <a href="https://www.breitbart.com/border/2018/07/01/136-politicians-killed-581-attacks-in-10-month-lead-up-to-election/">reported</a> on July 1, 2018:
<blockquote>According to statistics compiled by Mexico City-based Etellekt, from September 8, 2017, to the current date, there have been 581 attacks on politicians and at least 162 during the last week of political campaigning. There have been 136 politicians murdered, 197 threatened, 70 have suffered physical attacks, 52 have been assaulted with a firearm, and 51 attacks have been reported against relatives of politicians.
Additionally, there have been 20 kidnappings or attempt kidnappings during the election cycle with attacks on males accounting for 400, women 147, and 34 targeting relatives of politicians.</blockquote>
Initial results from the 2021 elections showed that López Obrador&#8217;s party, Morena, lost its super-majority in the lower house, meaning that he could face a more divided government that limits his power.
The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/06/06/mexico-midterm-election-morena/">reported</a>:
<blockquote>The biggest prize in Sunday’s’ election was the lower house of Congress, where López Obrador had hoped to maintain the supermajority he assembled after his landslide 2018 win. Morena won between 190 and 203 seats in Sunday’s vote, according to projections by the national electoral institute. With several small parties, it could potentially control nearly 300 seats, short of the two-thirds needed to pass constitutional amendments.</blockquote>

Mexicans Go To Polls In Midterm Elections Amid Coronavirus and After Violent Campaign

Nearly 100 Mexican Politicians Assassinated In 2021 Elections, 900+ Injured In Attacks: Report

Vice President Kamala Harris will finally kick off her efforts to curb the ongoing border crisis next month, meeting on May 7th with Mexican president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to discuss his plans to address the &#8220;root causes&#8221; of migration from Central America.
The pair will reportedly discuss Obrador&#8217;s breakthrough plan to address both rampant poverty and climate change: a program that puts people to work planting trees in Mexico in exchange for American citizenship.
&#8220;​President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador will discuss a plan to offer citizenship as part of a tree-planting proposal he wants the US to help finance when he meets with Vice President Kamala Harris next month,&#8221; <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/04/25/vp-harris-to-meet-with-mexican-president-on-citizenship-plan/">according to the New York Post</a>. &#8220;It involves planting 1 billion fruit and timber trees, and Lopez Obrador proposed the US grant six-month work visas that lead to citizenship to workers who participate in the program.&#8221;
Obrador reportedly broached the possibility of the United States funding the massive tree-planting project at the Biden administration&#8217;s Earth Day climate summate last week, though he did not say how much the full program would cost. <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-03-08/a-tree-planting-program-in-mexico-may-encourage-deforestation">According to Bloomberg</a>, the Mexican arm of the program is estimated to cost around $3 billion.
“You, President Biden, can finance the Planting Life program in Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador,” he told President Joe Biden during the pair&#8217;s discussion on Thursday. “The proposal is that we extend this program to southeastern Mexico and Central America, to plant 3 billion more trees and create 1.2 million jobs.”
Obrador added that the program has already planted around 700,000 trees, but did not elaborate on whether the program also created jobs for foreign workers in Mexico. <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-03-08/a-tree-planting-program-in-mexico-may-encourage-deforestation">Bloomberg reported that the program</a> has its drawbacks, namely that farmers who need cash are cutting down jungle land in order to replant the government&#8217;s trees, thereby getting a share of the grant money while actually working against the stated goal of &#8220;reforestation.&#8221;
“In many cases, people said, ‘Well, I have my hectare of jungle but the program is coming so I’ll cut down the jungle, use the trees for my house or to sell the wood or whatever, and when the program comes I’ll sow seeds again,’” one Mexican ecology professor told the outlet.
On Saturday, Mexico&#8217;s foreign minister noted, on Twitter, that Obrador plans to bring the program up again when the pair meet to discuss how to address certain &#8220;root causes&#8221; of continued migration from Central America.
&#8220;Mexico’s Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard wrote in a Saturday Twitter posting that Lopez Obrador intends to discuss the tree program with Harris at their virtual meeting on May 7 as well as the pandemic and coronavirus vaccines,&#8221; the Post noted.
Harris, who was appointed to handle the border crisis nearly a month ago, has yet to make any significant strides in handling the continuous, record-breaking flow of migrants across the United States&#8217; southern border. On Sunday, Harris told CNN that she plans to travel to Central America soon to meet with leaders there, but claimed that COVID-19 protocols are keeping her grounded in the United States until early summer.
Although the American arm of the crisis is at the southern border, Harris said she has no plans to tour border states because that situation is within the purview of the Department of Homeland Security.

Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris To Meet With Mexican President, Will Discuss Tree Planting As Immigration Solution

Climate Change

On Tuesday, left-wing Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador blamed Joe Biden and his administration for the immigration crisis which continues to unfurl at the border between the United States and Mexico.
“Expectations were created that with the Government of President Biden there would be a better treatment of migrants. And this has caused Central American migrants, and also from our country, wanting to cross the border thinking that it is easier to do so,” Obrador said during a press conference.
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AMLO: &quot;Expectations were created that with the Government of President Biden there would be a better treatment of migrants. And this has caused Central American migrants, and also from our country, wanting to cross the border thinking that it is easier to do so&quot; <a href="https://t.co/TNrZQamuWK">pic.twitter.com/TNrZQamuWK</a>
&mdash; José Díaz-Briseño (@diazbriseno) <a href="https://twitter.com/diazbriseno/status/1374391861226311680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 23, 2021</a></blockquote>
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“President Joe Biden’s press secretary told reporters Monday that the U.S. had dispatched envoys to Mexico and Guatemala in order to find a solution for how to reduce the number of migrants showing up at the southern border. But Mexico’s president appeared to side with Biden’s conservative critics, who say his departure from former President Donald Trump’s hardline immigration policies has helped facilitate the new surge,” reported <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/mexicos-president-says-bidens-promise-better-treatment-migrants-causing-border-surge-1578229">Newsweek</a>.
The outlet also reported that Obrador argued that Biden had worsened the border crisis by “allowing smugglers and traffickers to convince locals that the often dangerous route has been made easier to cross.”
“During his Tuesday press conference, Obrador went on to say that he stressed Mexican sovereignty and wants to work in a ‘coordinated manner’ with U.S. officials in order to help curb the flow of migrants showing up at the border between the two countries,” the report added.
Earlier this week, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemimamcevoy/2021/03/21/dhs-secretary-says-trump-to-blame-for-bidens-border-crisis-heres-why/?sh=ea03aca2a72c">blamed</a> former President Donald Trump for the border crisis, “arguing that the previous administration’s disruptions to the immigration system is the reason why holding facilities are being overwhelmed by an influx of unaccompanied minors.”
Meanwhile, Trump has blamed Biden for the border crisis. “In an interview with Fox News Channel’s Maria Bartiromo, Trump argued that his working relationship with Mexico and the partially constructed border wall had acted as deterrents for migrants while he was in office,” The Hill <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/543547-trump-blames-biden-for-border-crisis">reported</a>.
“We did a lot of things, and all of that is now eroded,” Trump said. “Today, they’re coming in from all foreign countries. &#8230; They’re dropping them off, and they’re coming into our country, and it’s a disgrace. They’re going to destroy our country if they don’t do something about it.”
The open criticism of the Biden administration by Obrador comes during a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-bidens-border-crisis-explodes-number-of-unaccompanied-children-in-custody-300-higher-than-previously-known">time</a> when “Democrat President Joe Biden’s border crisis is rapidly spiraling out of control as new reporting on Tuesday evening indicated that the number of unaccompanied children being held in detention facilities is more than 300 percent higher than previously known,” with the Biden administration reportedly looking to start a vaccine distribution initiative to help bolster negotiations with Mexico.
“The announcement of the vaccine distribution came at a critical time in negotiations with Mexico,” The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/18/world/americas/usa-mexico-vaccine-coronavirus.html">reported</a>. “President Biden has moved quickly to dismantle some of former President Trump’s signature immigration policies, halting construction of a border wall, stopping the swift expulsion of children at the border and proposing a pathway to citizenship for millions of immigrants in the United States.”
“But he is clinging to a central element of Mr. Trump’s agenda: relying on Mexico to restrain a wave of people making their way to the United States,” the Times added.

President Obrador

‘Expectations Were Created’: Mexico’s President Blames Biden For Border Crisis.

Child Migrant Crisis

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki dodged numerous questions on Thursday about President Joe Biden&#8217;s border crisis, including a question relating to Mexico&#8217;s president <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mexico-worried-that-biden-is-stoking-illegal-immigration">blaming</a> Biden for the surge in illegal immigration that is taking place.
&#8220;Mexico’s president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, said that people coming into the US right now see Biden, President Biden, as the migrant president,&#8221; Fox News reporter Peter Doocy said. &#8220;Does the White House take that as a compliment?&#8221;
&#8220;Well, first it’s Mexico will have to be, is an important partner in ensuring we’re addressing the flow of migrants from Central America through Mexico, and many to the border of the United States,&#8221; Psaki responded. &#8220;We have conveyed privately and publicly, as well, that the majority of people who come to our border will be turned away. We certainly also recognize that because the president and our administration has made a decision that the way to humanely approach immigration is to allow for unaccompanied minors to come and be treated with humanity and be in a safe place while we’re trying to get them into homes and sponsored homes that some more may have come to our border, and there have been, of course, a large flow of children across the border.&#8221;
&#8220;We recognize that, but we made a policy decision because we felt it was the humane approach,&#8221; she said. &#8220;But the facts are the vast, vast majority of people who come to our border are turned away, and the statistics bear that out.&#8221;
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Though we have a crisis at the border and COVID concerns at the border, Jen Psaki continues to deflect while claiming to be &quot;interested in facts.&quot;
On green jobs? No real answer on job losses or huge pay discrepancies between jobs Biden cut/will cut and new &quot;green jobs.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/oUOFoRt2Wu">pic.twitter.com/oUOFoRt2Wu</a>
&mdash; (((Jason Rantz))) on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) <a href="https://twitter.com/jasonrantz/status/1370112028614946819?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 11, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Even CNN pressed Psaki on Biden&#8217;s border crisis, specifically on why Biden won&#8217;t refer to it as a crisis.
The two had the following exchange:
<blockquote>CNN REPORTER: The administration has refused to call it a crisis, instead referring to it as a challenge and saying what you call it doesn’t make a difference of how you’re responding to it. But now today, there are over 3,700 children, unaccompanied migrant children, in border patrol custody. They’re spending, on average, over 100 hours, four days, in these facilities that are jail-like facilities not meant for children, so how can you say that’s not a crisis?
PSAKI: Well, I think what Ambassador Jacobson and Secretary Mayorkas were conveying, and what I’ve conveyed, is it doesn’t matter what you call it. It is an enormous challenge. It is something that is front and center for the president. As I noted yesterday, he had what is a regular meeting, but he had a briefing yesterday on the trip to the border. There are a number of, while there are no final policy decisions, there are a variety of actions under consideration, including identifying and assessing other licensed facilities that can help add safe capacity for these children, relaunching, as we talked about over the last couple of days, the Central American Minors Program, accelerating the unification of children with vetted families, family, and sponsors, steps like embedding HHS and ORR in the earlier parts of the process.
The president is very focused and very in the weeds on the operational details here, and on taking and pushing his team to take every step that can be taken to address exactly what you noted, Caitlin, which is the fact that children should not — these border patrol facilities are not made for children. We are focused on expediting the time they spend there, that these HHS shelters are not meant for permanent living, for anyone permanently living there, that we want to expedite the timeline between when kids cross the border and when they are getting to sponsor homes. So, our focus here is on getting to the root of the issues and taking actions, and we don’t feel the need to play games with what it’s called.
CNN REPORTER: Aren’t those the steps that you would take if it was a crisis that you had on your hands?
PSKAI: These are the policies we’re taking to address what we feel is a vital human challenge at the border, but what our responsibility here is to do is to project and convey what policies we’re taking, what the president’s commitment is. That’s exactly what we’re doing, and we don’t see the need to put new labels.</blockquote>
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CNN reporter to Jen Psaki:
&quot;There are over 3700 children in border patrol jail-like facilities. How can you say that&#39;s not a crisis?&quot;
💀💀💀 <a href="https://t.co/nJGN3leQQm">pic.twitter.com/nJGN3leQQm</a>
&mdash; Caleb Hull (@CalebJHull) <a href="https://twitter.com/CalebJHull/status/1370101761407598594?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 11, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Even NBC News reporter Kristen Welker pressed Psaki on Biden&#8217;s border crisis.
The two had the following exchange:
<blockquote>WELKER: I could try one more time on the issue at the border and just follow up on the comments of the Mexican president, who said that the surge in unaccompanied migrants is because they see the president as the migrant president. What does that say about how the president is handling this situation?
PSAKI: Look, I think the president has been clear, as has every member of our administration, you had Ambassador Jacobson doing this the other day, that the border is not open. Now is not the time to come. We turn away the vast majority of people who come to the border. The vast, vast majority, these numbers are put out by CBP and the Department of Homeland Security, and people can see those numbers. We stand by our decision and our policy as an administration not to send unaccompanied minors back on the treacherous journey. That is our policy because we feel it’s humane and it’s moral, and we think the world sees it that way as well.
WELKER: Does the message need to be even clearer though? Yesterday, Ambassador Jacobsen acknowledged that yes, she said in her own words, you’re trying to walk and chew gum at the same time. Does there need to be a more streamlined message in order to prevent this surge?
PSAKI: Well, she also talked about, Kristen, which is true, in the region, we’re working against the efforts of smugglers and others who are conveying a different message. One of the steps we’re taking that I touched on a little bit earlier is also thinking of rebuilding or going back to some of the policies that were in place previously, where children could apply for the Central American Minors Program, which was ended in 2017. We estimate there’s about 3,000 kids who might be eligible, who could apply, and they could apply from the region, which would mean they wouldn’t make the treacherous journey. They wouldn’t be at the border working through border patrol. We’re looking for ways to reduce the number of kids who are taking this treacherous journey. Then we’re also looking for ways to expedite when kids are connected to family members, to safe sponsor homes.
We’re looking for ways to expedite getting them from the border patrol facilities into the shelters as well. There’s numbers challenges here, and we’re working through a lot of the operational details and specifics, but we stand by that what we feel is a more humane approach to what is happening at the border. We are looking for ways operationally to make it more efficient, to move kids through the system more quickly. Ultimately, when they get to the point where they’re with sponsor homes, many of them will not be able to stay. Most of them. They have to apply and &#8230; they have to go through the process, but we still are working for ways to expedite the system in the meantime.</blockquote>
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&quot;They see Biden as the migrant President&quot; doesn&#39;t quite get a good response from Jen Psaki, who keeps repeating scripted talking points. <a href="https://t.co/5G728GQbn1">pic.twitter.com/5G728GQbn1</a>
&mdash; (((Jason Rantz))) on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) <a href="https://twitter.com/jasonrantz/status/1370112674374197248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 11, 2021</a></blockquote>
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White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki Holds Daily News Conference

WATCH: Psaki Dodges Question About Mexico’s President Blaming Biden For Causing Boom In Illegal Immigration

Illegal Immigration

Jen Psaki

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