Biden leads Americas pledge on migration after contested summit

An activist carries Venezuelan and Cuban flags during a protest outside the Summit of the Americas at the LA Convention Center

US President Joe Biden on Friday led a pledge by 20 nations in the Americas to work together on migration, seeking to step up action on a growing political priority at a summit beset by disputes.

The weeklong Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles wound down with promises by Biden to do more, and a joint declaration on migration that largely formalized existing arrangements rather than setting new policy.

Biden -- who has promised a more humane approach than his predecessor Donald Trump -- announced a $65 million effort to support documented seasonal work on US farms.

"Unlawful migration is not acceptable and we will secure our borders including through innovative, coordinated actions with our regional partners."

Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said the summit's results were "very positive," including Biden's calls for economic cooperation and the "regional approach on migration."

Trump's Republican Party has seized on the issue ahead of congressional elections, denouncing migrants from developing countries and accusing Biden of failing to act effectively.

The United States also announced $314 million in new funding to support some of the more than six million Venezuelans who have fled their country, whose economy has been in freefall.

Biden called the summit in the face of rising Chinese influence in a region that the United States has long considered its home turf.

The row was why Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador refused to attend and several leaders directly challenged Biden.

"We know that money is not the problem," Prime Minister John Briceno told him Thursday.

"It's hard to do that with governments that reject the basic principle that they're accountable to their people and repress their citizens' rights to speak up about the challenges they face," Blinken said.

Blinken voiced hope for progress in Venezuela, saying he understood that talks would resume between the government and opposition -- which was not invited to Los Angeles despite US support.

"Sanctions are not an end in themselves. They are an effort to incentivize those who are on the receiving end to engage in different conduct," Blinken said. 

Bolsonaro, who was one of Trump's closest international allies, told the summit that his meeting with Biden was "simply fantastic."

Blinken called the meeting "constructive" and said that Biden offered to help on forest preservation, acknowledging the US historical responsibility for climate change.

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