Leaders attending the Summit of the Americas Friday will sign the “Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection,” described by a White House official as a pact to pursue a “comprehensive” approach to addressing the crisis.
The declaration “will lay out in four pillars an approach to a migration management that is rooted in shared responsibility and involves source countries, transit countries and destination countries for the first time ever,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force One Wednesday.
President Joe Biden said Thursday at the summit’s opening plenary session the declaration “will bring our nations together around a transformative new approach to invest in the region solutions that enhance stability, to increase opportunities for safe and orderly migration, to crack down on the criminals and human traffickers who prey on desperate people, and coordinate specific, concrete actions to secure our borders and resolve the shared challenges.”
Biden is also scheduled Friday to make a speech at the Port of Los Angeles at the Battleship Iowa on inflation and the actions the administration has taken to lower prices and address supply chain challenges and host a “leaders retreat” and a luncheon with various summit delegates.
Additionally, Biden will attend a pair of Democratic National Committee fundraisers Friday night. He is scheduled to leave Los Angeles Saturday, traveling to New Mexico to receive a wildfire briefing.
In his Thursday afternoon speech at the opening plenary session at the Los Angeles Convention Center, Biden declared, “There is no reason why the Western Hemisphere can’t be the most forward-looking, most democratic, most prosperous, most peaceful, secure region in the world. We have unlimited potential. We have enormous resources and a democratic spirit that stands for freedom and opportunity for everybody.”
Earlier Thursday, speaking at the CEO Summit of the Americas gathering of business leaders at the Intercontinental Hotel, Biden challenged business leaders to join with Western Hemisphere nations to prepare the global economy for the coming decades through investments in supply chains, clean energy and the “digital future.”
Biden said the “economy of the future” will depend on decisions made Friday.
“The economy of the future will increasingly belong to those who place a premium on resilience and reliability, who invest over the long term and strengthen supply chains now to mitigate the impact of future shocks before they hit,” Biden told the gathering, which is sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and held in conjunction with the Summit of the Americas.
“Each of us — the government and the private sector — have a critical role to play,” Biden said. “That’s why I’m focused on driving economic policies that grow our economies from the bottom up and the middle out. Because quite frankly, when that works, everybody does well.”
Biden told the business leaders that governments attending the Summit of the Americas will be making commitments to achieve “sustainable and equitable growth” across the region. He said those decisions will include improved supply chains, developing a “shared framework for our digital future,” advancing action against climate change, speeding the transition to clean energy, combating food insecurity and managing “safe and orderly migration.”
“My challenge to all of you is, if you step up and play a bigger role in driving inclusive, sustainable and equitable growth in the 21st Century, a lot is going to happen,” he said. “What more can you do to engage in these issues that shape our future?”
He noted specifically, “If you make the investments necessary to build more secure and resilient supply chains, that’s ultimately going to bring down your costs and make you more competitive and boost your bottom line.”
Biden also met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Thursday, reviewing cooperative efforts between the nations on issues such as economic development, the COVID-19 pandemic, immigration and food insecurity.
The meeting was notably cordial, with Biden telling Trudeau, “We have no better friend in the whole world than Canada. And that’s not hyperbole. That’s real. And you’re a good personal friend as well.”
Biden also stopped by a meeting between Vice President Kamala Harris and leaders of Caribbean nations. The meeting focused on deepening the U.S.-Caribbean partnership, and Harris announced a partnership aimed at addressing the climate crisis.
“Through this partnership, we will support energy infrastructure and climate resilience projects at every stage of development, from beginning to end,” Harris said.
Biden also met Thursday with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who was a supporter of former President Donald Trump and was initially hesitant to recognize Biden’s election. Biden spoke cordially at the top of the meeting about his affection for the country, noting he has visited Brazil twice, including once during the 2014 World Cup.
Biden called Brazil a “wonderful place,” and hailed its work to protect the Amazon.
Bolsonaro spoke more at length, saying the two nations “have a lot in common,” including a love of freedom, democracy and shared values. He said the nation has “a huge interest in getting closer and closer to the U.S.”
On Thursday night, Biden and first lady Jill Biden welcomed heads of state and government and their spouses for a dinner at the Getty Villa.