President Biden on Thursday met with Colombian President Ivan Duque and hailed his nation’s efforts to address the region’s migration crisis, calling it the “linchpin” to stability and prosperity in Latin America.
“Colombia is the keystone,” Mr. Biden said. “Our hemisphere’s migration challenges cannot be solved by one nation.”
The two leaders met at the White House to discuss legal pathways for immigrants, providing aid to countries that welcome a large number of migrants, and the war in Ukraine.
Mr. Biden and Mr. Duque will also discuss narcotics trafficking and environmental concerns in the region, a senior administration official told reporters.
The official said migration will be the key focus of the two leaders’ discussions.
“We’re looking to build off of the example of countries like Colombia, bring more support to countries again on the front line, bring leaders around the table to collectively look at how we can chart a new course to better manage migration in the Western Hemisphere,” the official said.
Since 2015, millions of people fleeing the collapse of neighboring Venezuela have flocked to Colombia. Roughly 2 million Venezuelans have been granted temporary protected status in Colombia.
The two leaders’ meeting comes ahead of the ninth Summit of the Americas, which will take place in Los Angeles in June. A top issue at that summit will be migration and how to support countries on the “front line” of the issue.
Mr. Duque said the summit will be an opportunity to “embrace the cause of Build Back Better,” referring to Mr. Biden’s stalled trillion-dollar climate and spending bill.
Talking with reporters ahead of his meeting with Mr. Biden, Mr. Duque condemned Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
“This has been a very horrifying moment for the world,” he said. “Nothing justifies this bloodbath.”
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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