The White House altered an official statement on immigration after meeting with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
An emailed statement said “democratic decline” was a cause of the immigration crisis, although the phrase was not included on the White House’s website.
The phrase was also not included in Mexico’s official statement.
According to The Hill, the White House’s original statement read, “The two countries reaffirmed their existing commitments on fostering an orderly, humane, and regular migration. This includes reinforcing our partnership to address the root causes of migration, such as poverty, inequality, democratic decline, and violence, and for the two countries’ initiative for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans.” (emphasis added)
“The two countries reaffirmed their existing commitments on fostering an orderly, humane, and regular migration. This includes reinforcing our partnership to address the root causes of migration, such as poverty, inequality, and violence, and for the two countries’ initiative for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans,” reads the updated White House official statement. “Ongoing cooperation also includes enhanced efforts to disrupt human smuggling, trafficking, and criminal networks, and continuing the work to promote legal instead of irregular migration pathways. Also, both delegations agreed on the importance of maintaining and facilitating the vital bilateral trade at our shared border.”
Officials told The Hill that the phrase “democratic decline” was part of a “version control issue.”
“Due to a version control issue, the initial version of the document that we posted online included an additional phrase that had not been discussed with the Mexicans. Promoting democratic values in the region is a top priority for the Biden-Harris Administration and we have worked with Mexico to promote these values, including most recently in Guatemala and Venezuela,” a National Security Council spokesperson said.
American Faith reported that Mexico’s president suggested that migration to the United States will decrease if U.S. President Joe Biden gives aid to Latin American governments.
According to the New York Times, Obrador said, “It is more efficient and more humane to invest in the development of the people and that is what we have always proposed.”
This idea was echoed in the official statement, as the White House wrote that Obrador “stressed the need to continue the diplomatic and political engagement with all countries in the region, as well as investing in ambitious development programs throughout the entire hemisphere of the Americas. Both delegations underlined the efforts that the Biden administration is pursuing through development assistance and humanitarian aid, as well as advancing new private investments in the region.”
