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A BARBECUE ABOUT NOTHING. On Thursday, President Joe Biden, along with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, took part in the North American Leaders Summit at the White House. It was the ninth such summit, but the first since 2016, when President Donald Trump stopped taking part.
The usual anti-Trump suspects praised Biden just for showing up. “I think it’s nice that we’re friendly with our neighbors again,” said late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel. “It’s like America’s abusive ex-boyfriend moved out, and we’re finally getting invited back to the barbecues in the neighborhood.”
But it appears that in some important ways, it was a barbecue about nothing. Take the critical issue of illegal immigration.
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In the Trump years, the administration pressured Mexico to make several moves to cut the number of people crossing the border illegally into the United States. What became known as the “Remain in Mexico” program successfully reduced the number of illegal crossers who were allowed to stay in the U.S. even though they had little or no hope of being granted asylum. It was good for the U.S. Mexico didn’t like it.
Joe Biden, of course, ended “Remain in Mexico” on his first day in office. Now, though, after a lawsuit from the states of Texas and Missouri, a federal court has ordered it reinstated, at least temporarily, because of allegations Biden did not follow required procedures in throwing out the existing policy. At the moment, its status is in limbo. But there is no doubt that, from an American perspective, “Remain in Mexico” was a success before Biden tried to kill it.
So what did Biden say about it when he met with Lopez Obrador, who, as the New York Times noted in its report on the summit, “has lashed out at the United States and pursued policies that run counter to American interests”? Nothing. Biden did not talk about it at all.
“Throughout the day, each leader declined to answer questions from reporters about American policies that turn asylum seekers back to Mexico,” the New York Times reported. “Mr. Biden’s advisers said the group would discuss humane ways to address the root causes that drive people north and would confront the flow of fentanyl and other drugs toward the U.S.-Mexico border. But they also said the group would not discuss policies that have become flashpoints for immigration activists, including a program that forces some asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their cases are pending.”
Later, a reporter asked White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki, “How do you have a summit where migration is one of the major issues without bringing up the policy like ‘Remain in Mexico’? Where does the White House think the proper forum for that is if it’s not one like this?”
Psaki pointed to the court case as the reason Biden steered clear of the topic. But she made clear that the president, like the rest of his administration, prefers to talk about the “root causes” of migration that don’t do anything to fix the current crisis at the border. We did not hear an explanation from Biden himself because he declined to hold the traditional press conference after the summit.
“Remain in Mexico” was not the only substantive issue Biden ignored at the summit. He also stayed away from some of the more difficult trade issues between the U.S. and Canada. But the leaders did agree to form a “working group” — the diplomatic version of appointing a committee — to look at issues such as the supply chain problem. Otherwise, the New York Times noted, “the leaders seemed intent on relaying diplomatic niceties over tackling thornier questions like trade disputes or the surging numbers of migrants.”
In the end, Biden’s supporters mostly argued that it was good the summit took place at all — not that it actually accomplished something to advance U.S. interests. Isn’t it great that the neighborhood barbecue is on again? Even if it is about nothing?
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