WASHINGTON – Earlier this week, Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) returned from a congressional delegation (CODEL) to Mexico to meet with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and his cabinet to discuss maintaining the strong partnership between the United States and Mexico.  

Led by Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), the bipartisan delegation reaffirmed the two countries’ shared commitment to strong Northern American trade relations and combatting China’s growing influence in the Western Hemisphere, and explored strategies to facilitate safe and legal migration, and combat fentanyl and arms trafficking across the U.S.-Mexico border. 

“The United and Mexico face many of the same challenges—drug and arms trafficking, irregular migration, and an increasingly competitive Chinese government,” said Sen. Welch. “We can’t address these issues in isolation. This trip was a meaningful step to maintain and strengthen our relationship with the Mexican government and develop effective, collaborative solutions for the problems impacting Mexicans and Americans alike.” 

“The United States and Mexico share a common border, which means we should have a shared interest in working together to address the security challenges that put American and Mexican lives at risk, including drugs, murderous cartels, and unchecked migration,” said Sen. Cornyn. “Our delegation made clear to President López Obrador that his administration must do more to address these issues so that we can maintain our historically strong economic and cultural partnership, and I am hopeful that our candid conversations will lead to collaborative solutions that make both countries safer and more prosperous.” 

The group also received briefings from U.S. intelligence officials, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar on the United States’ security posture with regard to Mexico, efforts to stop drug trafficking, and illegal immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border.  

In addition to Sens. Welch and Cornyn, the delegation included Senators Chris Coons (D-DE), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Mike Lee (R-UT), Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), and Representatives Tony Gonzales (TX-23), Henry Cuellar (TX-28), Veronica Escobar (TX-16), and Maria Salazar (FL-27). 

In Mexico City, the delegation met with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar, and Mexican government officials.

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