Obama plans to visit Peña Nieto in May
By Gary Martin, Staff Writer
Published 9:50 pm, Wednesday, March 27, 2013
mysanantonio.com
WASHINGTON — Economic ties, enhanced border security and U.S. immigration reform will be on the agenda when President Barack Obama visits Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto in May, officials said Wednesday.
It will be the first meeting in Mexico City between Obama and Peña Nieto since the Mexican president took office in December.
The two met at the White House to discuss bilateral issues just days before Peña Nieto took office.
Obama's trip is being billed as a goodwill journey. It includes stops in Mexico and Costa Rica to meet with leaders from Central America and the Dominican Republic.
Obama spoke with Peña Nieto by phone Wednesday and accepted his invitation to discuss bilateral issues in Mexico City, the White House said.
“The president welcomes the opportunity to discuss ways to deepen our economic and commercial partnership,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said.
Obama will meet with Peña Nieto on “a broad array of bilateral, regional and global issues that connect our two countries.”
The meeting was first announced in Mexico by the foreign minister.
Obama will travel May 2-4.
The president's trip will be closely watched by Texas officials.
Rep. Joaquín Castro, D-San Antonio, said the meeting was an opportunity for the two presidents to continue their discussion on border security, trade and improving relations.
“Obviously, Texas has a lot at stake with the U.S. relationship with Mexico,” said Castro, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Castro said that as both economies become entwined, more wealthy Mexicans are calling American cities such as San Antonio and Houston their home.
“So we need to continue to work on our relationship,” Castro said.
Last year, Peña Nieto said the two countries needed to go beyond the drug war to improve conditions on the U.S.-Mexico border, where understaffed and underdeveloped ports of entry have led to long delays at bridges and rail crossings.
Peña Nieto also urged Obama and U.S. lawmakers to shift priorities away from the armed fight with narco traffickers and instead focus on education and economic growth.
Obama is pushing the new Mexican administration to continue the fight against organized crime and the cartels blamed for escalating violence in Mexico.
The United States has provided $1.6 million in assistance to the drug war since 2007 as part of an initiative to curb trafficking.
The war has had U.S. casualties.
The 2011 death of Special Agent Jaime Zapata, serving with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Mexico, has become a rallying cry for U.S. lawmakers who want to step up the fight against the cartels.
Zapata, a Brownsville native, was serving as an adviser when he was shot dead in an ambush carried out by members of the Zetas cartel in Mexico.
In addition to the drug war, the two leaders are expected to continue their discussion on U.S. immigration reform.
In December, Obama told Peña Nieto that he would push Congress to pass immigration reform and seek measures that protect the human rights of migrants in this country.
The two presidents pledged to work for a safe, modern border that reflects the symbiotic relationship between the countries.
In Costa Rica, Obama will meet with President Laura Chinchilla and leaders from other Central American countries about collective efforts to promote economic growth.
Obama plans to visit Peña Nieto in May - San Antonio Express-News
