Kamala Harris says México, U.S. are entering new era

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said Tuesday that her country and México are entering a “new era” after meeting with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and his cabinet in México City.

“I strongly believe that we are embarking on a new era that makes clear the interdependence and interconnection between nations,” Harris said at the start of the meeting at the National Palace with the Mexican president’s team.

Harris arrived at the National Palace on Tuesday to witness, along with López Obrador, the signing of a memorandum between the two governments on migration cooperation.

The signing ceremony took place in the presidential palace, with the site on the Patio de Honor adorned with Mexican and U.S. flags just after Harris was welcomed by the Mexican leader and minutes before they held a private meeting.

Later, the two officials posed for photographs on the stairs of the National Palace before beginning their private discussion along with the respective delegations from the two countries.

Participating in the meeting for the Mexican side were Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard; Government Secretary Olga Sánchez Cordero and the head of the National Immigration Institute, Francisco Garduño.

Representing the United States were Harris, along with the charge d’affaires at the U.S. Embassy in México, John S. Creamer, and the special U.S. envoy for the Northern Triangle of Central America, Ricardo Zuñiga, among others.

Also present was Juan González, a special assistant to U.S. President Joe Biden and senior director of the National Security Council for the Western Hemisphere.

The meeting lasted approximately 90 minutes and as it began López Obrador thanked Harris for her visit and emphasized the good level of understanding between the two countries.

In turn, Harris said that the U.S. and México “have a long-standing relationship ... based on families,” “shared borders” and “a shared history.”

“I strongly believe that we are embarking on a new era,” she added.

About 12:15 p.m., Foreign Minister Ebrard reported that the meeting had ended.

“The economy was discussed along with high level dialogue, cooperation on security, development in southern México and Central America. It was a very successful meeting!” he posted on Twitter.

After meeting with the Mexican leader and his cabinet, Harris was taken to a downtown hotel, where she was scheduled to meet with female businesspeople and leaders from the labor sector and later to meet with media representatives before departing for Washington.