Ken Salazar: “We Need to have a Regional Approach to Migration Realities”

US HAS DONATED 10 MILLION VACCINES TO MEXICO

Newsroom El Comercio de Colorado 

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Ken Salazar, US Ambassador to Mexico, arrived in Colorado within hours of the end of the North American Leaders Summit. In a press conference with Governor Jared Polis and Consul General of Mexico in Denver Berenice Rendon Talavera, the ambassador indicated that the immigration issue was discussed by Presidents Joe Biden, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, and Justin Trudeau.

“We need to look at migration in a very different way than the United States has looked at it for a long time. And that’s it. We need to have a regional approach to the migration realities that we’re facing in the Western Hemisphere, especially in Central America, Mexico, the United States, and Canada. These three leaders came together and concluded, “We’re going to work on this together,” stated the ambassador.

Investments in Central America

Salazar assures that “commitments were reached at the North American Leaders Summit to address development opportunities in Central America and Southern Mexico.” According to the ambassador, Mexico is committed to working and has already begun to implement programs that are creating Civilian Conservation Corps-type projects in Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador.

“The United States is going to do the same, and we are committed to using large sums of money to move forward and generate hope and opportunity for people who are leaving their homes of origin out of desperation, political instability, and governments that do not fulfill their role. These and other issues have created migratory movements to Mexico, as well as to the United States,” he said.

Battle Against the Pandemic

Salazar indicated that Biden and Lopez Obrador recognized that the region is still not out of the pandemic. “We’re still having some challenges, but we’re making progress. The vaccination rates in Mexico have been very high due to the fact that the United States under President Biden has donated over 10 million vaccines to Mexico. The president of Mexico very much appreciated that,” he said.

“But most importantly, with respect to health and the North American approach to pandemics into the future, we must stick together and deal with our supply chains, our pharmaceuticals. That’s very much a part of the agenda moving forward between Mexico, the United States, and Canada,” Salazar stated.