MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – A $4 billion commitment from U.S. President Joe Biden to promote development in Central America will include help for southern Mexico, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Tuesday, after a call with his counterpart.
Biden made an election campaign pledge to spend $4 billion to help address the root causes of migration from Central America, after large numbers have fled poverty and violence in the region, many seeking asylum in the United States.
“President Biden has proposed dedicating $4 billion for the development of the nations of Central America and in the south of our country,” Lopez Obrador told a news conference, referring to a virtual meeting with Biden the day before.
He did not specify how Mexico might benefit from the funds, but said he spoke to Biden about the importance of economic development and mentioned two major infrastructure schemes – a rail project across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and the “Mayan Train” linking tourist towns around the Yucatan Peninsula.
Both are designed to help lift the economy of southern Mexico, which has lagged behind other parts of the country.
(Reporting by Daina Beth Solomon and Raul Cortes; Editing by Alistair Bell)
