In Mexico Relationship, Biden Prioritizes 'Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion' Over Immigration and National Security
Meeting with Mexican president comes amid record migrant encounters and escalating cartel violence
Collin Anderson
January 17, 2023
President Joe Biden passed up a chance last week to press his Mexican counterpart about the unprecedented border crisis and escalating cartel violence. Instead, he chose to discuss "diversity, equity, and inclusion" and "climate change" initiatives.
One day after Biden's Jan. 9 sitdown with Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the White House released a list of six "commitments" secured through the meeting. At the top of that list is a pledge to advance "diversity, equity, and inclusion," with Biden and López Obrador vowing to "promote racial justice," "expand protections for LGBTQI+ individuals," and "foster Indigenous-led growth." Second on the list is a commitment to "tackle the climate crisis" and implement "ambitious cuts to emissions." National security and immigration, however, ranked much lower—Biden listed those issues last and third to last, respectively.
Biden's decision to place equity at the forefront of his Mexico meeting came amid an ongoing crisis at the southern border, and one Republican lawmaker told the Washington Free Beacon Biden's focus on diversity is unserious. Illegal immigration soared to record levels last year, with migrant apprehensions topping 2.3 million, a 37 percent increase from the 1.7 million seen in 2021. The American people, meanwhile, want action on the border: 54 percent of midterm voters identified immigration as a "very important" issue, a November Pew Research Center poll found, compared with just 34 percent and 38 percent who identified racial issues and climate change, respectively. Still, immigration went "largely unaddressed" during Biden's meeting with López Obrador, Bloomberg reported, because the two sides "ran out of time."
https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/in-mexico-relationship-biden-prioritizes-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-over-immigration-national-security/
