Biden hosts Costa Rican counterpart to discuss migration, security

WASHINGTON

US President Joe Biden hosted his Costa Rican counterpart Rodrigo Chaves at the White House on Tuesday, discussing migration and security cooperation.

He thanked Chaves for signing on to the 2022 Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection at the Summit of the Americas, which aims to “mobilize the entire region around bold actions that will transform our approach to managing migration,” according to a factsheet released by the White House.

“I want to thank you for making that declaration possible and for your leadership on the migration challenges that we face every single day,” Biden told Chaves during brief remarks ahead of the Oval Office meeting.

“Today, I also want to thank you for deepening our security cooperation. That’s one of my objectives, and I hope one of yours, including on organized crime," he said.

“Our nations are not only united by the challenges we face but, what I’ve found Mr. President, we’re united by the vision we share,” he said, noting that the vision is "for a future of greater opportunity and freedom and equality and, quite frankly, dignity — dignity for all our people.”

Chaves for his part said he "fully" agrees with his US counterpart.

“I can affirm to you, Mr. President, that Costa Rica has been and shall remain one of the strongest allies in the world regarding your economic and security interests that are ours,” he said.

The last time a Costa Rican president was hosted at the White House was in 2006, when George W. Bush was president.

The visit came as Biden faces pressure over a surge in migrant crossings through the southern US border.

The White House later said in a statement that the two leaders "reaffirmed our commitment to advance the goals outlined in the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection."

The statement noted that the State Department is contributing more than $12 million through international organization partners in Costa Rica “in support of these efforts and to stabilize flows and offer opportunities to migrants and refugees.”

"President Biden also recognized Costa Rica’s continued cooperation in regional efforts to promote safe, orderly and regular migration, including through the Safe Mobility Office, which aims to provide an alternative to migrants relying on smugglers by facilitating access to lawful pathways to the United States and other countries, reducing irregular migration," it said.

"The Presidents also committed to deepen bilateral security cooperation to combat organized crime and the accompanying rise in violence and corruption," it added.