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A2 UP FRONT
Wednesday 13 July 2022
Mexico agrees to invest $1.5B in 'smart' border technology

Associated Press can first lady Beatriz Gutiér-
WASHINGTON (AP) — Mexi- rez Müller during this spring's
can President Andres Man- White House celebration of
uel López Obrador agreed Cinco de Mayo.
to spend $1.5 billion to im- The discussions come just
prove "smart" border tech- before Biden leaves for Isra-
nology during meetings el, the West Bank and Saudi
Tuesday with President Joe Arabia.
Biden — a move the White A series of agreements
House says shows neighbor- announced by the Biden
ly cooperation succeeding administration pledged
where Trump administra- joint actions to modernize
tion vows to wall off the and improve infrastructure
border and have Mexico along key parts of their
pay for it could not. 2,000-mile (3,200-kilome-
A person familiar with a se- ter) border, enhance law
ries of agreements the two enforcement cooperation
countries hammered out as against fentanyl smuggling
their leaders met in Wash- and promote clean ener-
ington said they also called gy.
for other things like expand- Biden said that a "major
ing the number of work vi- Vice President Kamala Harris welcomes Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, at the anti smuggling operation"
sas the U.S. issues and wel- vice president's official residence in Washington, Tuesday, July 12, 2022. against fentanyl traffickers
coming more refugees. Associated Press has been underway since
They also would continue April and had led to more
joint patrols for Mexico and López Obrador said both invitation to the Summit of rising prices. than 3,000 arrests.
Guatemala to hunt hu- countries "should close the Americas in Los Ange- "This is a proven strategy Despite broad agreement
man smugglers along their ranks to help each other" les after unsuccessfully urg- that fuels economic growth on attempting to increase
shared border. amid spiking inflation and ing the U.S. to include the as well as reduces irregular legal migration, the Biden
The person spoke on the border challenges brutally leaders of Cuba, Nicara- migration," Biden said. administration has been
condition of anonymity underscored by 53 mi- gua and Venezuela — all Immigration has been a less clear about how much
because the agreement grants who died last month countries with anti-demo- political flashpoint for Biden it'll urge Mexico to stop
hadn't been formally an- after being abandoned in cratic regimes. as top Republicans have people heading through its
nounced. But the Biden a sweltering tractor-trailer The Mexican leader also pointed to a rising number territory to then cross into
administration was excit- on a remote back road in has called U.S. support for of people from Mexico and the U.S. illegally. That was a
ed about securing border San Antonio. Ukraine in its war with Russia Central America crossing key demand of Trump.
funding from Mexico after Though in the past he's not "a crass error" and criticized the southern U.S. border il- Vice President Kamala Har-
years of failed attempts by shied away from U.S. criti- the U.S. for moving more legally while slamming the ris, who has been tasked
former President Donald cism, López Obrador struck swiftly to provide military administration and top with exploring the root
Trump. a positive tone with Biden funding to Ukraine than Democrats for not doing causes of immigration
The agreements came while heaping praise on financial aid to Central more to slow it. López Ob- across Latin America, also
hours after the meetings Vice President Kamala Har- America. rador acknowledged those hosted López Obrador for a
began with López Obrador ris. Speaking of the migrant criticisms, but said the situ- Tuesday breakfast that fea-
offering more than half an Biden was equally concil- deaths in Texas — which ation at the border will re- tured mutual kind words.
hour worth of comments. iatory, saying, "I see, we included people from Mex- quire solutions, not just poli- Speaking with Mexico's
He touched on everything see Mexico as an equal ico and Central America tics. president outside the Naval
from Americans heading partner" and shrugging off — Biden said "we know we "The way out is not through Observatory, which is the
south for cheaper prices at differences of opinion on have to meet these chal- conservatism. The way out vice president's residence,
the pump at Mexican gas policy with López Obrador, lenges together." He said it through transformation," Harris referenced her past
stations to the New Deal "You and I have a strong the U.S. and Mexico agree he said. "Transform, not visits to his country.
politics of Franklin Delano and productive relation- on the need to increase maintain the status quo." "The time that I spent with
Roosevelt, while chiding ship and I would argue a opportunities for legal mi- Tuesday's was the second you in Mexico was so spe-
conservatives and saying partnership." gration, especially since in-person meeting between cial to me," she said, not-
the U.S. and Mexico should That was a departure from more workers can help al- Biden and López Obrador ing the "friendship that has
reject the "status quo" on last month, when López leviate U.S. labor shortages at the White House. First been so important to both
the border. Obrador declined Biden's and potentially help calm lady Jill Biden hosted Mexi- nations."q

Pentagon: U.S. kills IS group leader in Syria in drone strike

WASHINGTON (AP) — The said there were no civilian conduct their operations in trolled more than 40,000 according to the Washing-
Pentagon said Tuesday casualties, though it wasn't the region," said President square miles (103,600 ton-based Carnegie En-
that it killed a leader of the possible to immediately Joe Biden in a statement. square kilometers) stretch- dowment for International
Islamic State group in Syria confirm that information. "And, like the U.S. operation ing from Syria to Iraq and Peace, a nonpartisan think
in a drone strike. The U.S. carried out the in February that eliminated ruled more than 8 million tank.
U.S. Central Command strike outside Jindaris, a (IS's) overall leader, it sends people. While the group's The strike on al-Agal comes
said in a news release that town in northwest Syria a powerful message to all territorial state collapsed months after the head of
Maher al-Agal was killed close to the Turkish border. terrorists who threaten our in 2019, its leaders have the group, Abu Ibrahim al-
Tuesday and an unidenti- The attack "takes a key ter- homeland and our interests turned to guerilla tactics Hashimi al-Qurayshi, killed
fied senior official in the Is- rorist off the field and signifi- around the world." and have been able to "ef- himself during a raid on his
lamic State group was seri- cantly degrades the ability The Islamic State group at ficiently restructure them- hideout by American spe-
ously injured. The Pentagon of (IS) to plan, resource, and the height of its power con- selves organizationally," cial forces. q