(NewsNation Now) — Mexico’s cooperation is key to turning the tide of migrants heading toward the U.S. southern border, but they may not have incentive to lend a hand, a Border Patrol union chief said.
“If President Biden doesn’t step up, and if he doesn’t do the same thing that President Trump did, such as threaten tariffs against them, then there’s no reason for Mexico to help us,” Brandon Judd said on NewsNation’s “On Balance with Leland Vittert” on Wednesday. “Even though there is a great deal that they could do.”
His comments come ahead of an important meeting between the American and Mexican presidents. Joe Biden and Andrés Manuel López Obrador are going to be face-to-face for the first time since 2012.
Biden is expected to ask López Obrador for more help easing the flood of migrants into the U.S., although some critics of the Mexican president have pointed out that the systemic problems in that country have only enticed more people to try to cross the border.
On the flip side, Biden’s critics say floating amnesty provisions or offering lenience to undocumented immigrants already in the U.S. may appear enticing to those considering a trip across the border.
Complicating America’s immigration issues are some South American countries that are not accepting deported citizens back into their countries. Axios reports Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua and Brazil make deportation “difficult,” leaving a conundrum for U.S. officials to sort out.
Judd argued on “On Balance” that the U.S. would not have had the flood of migrants it’s seen this year if Biden had continued Trump’s policy of processing asylum claims while migrants waited in Mexico.
A judge told the Biden administration they had to continue enforcing that policy while it satisfied the legal process for ending the policy.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told senators this week they are following those instructions.
“We are implementing the court’s order in good faith. We are working with Mexico. It requires a bilateral relationship and an agreement.”