New U.S. ambassador arrives in Mexico and extends hand to AMLO

Published September 12th, 2021

The new U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar, arrived in Mexico on Saturday, where he extended his hand to AMLO and enunciated migration, pandemic, security and climate change as his priorities.

“The United States and Mexico together are stronger because we unite the capabilities, dreams, and hopes of both peoples. I arrive in Mexico with a pride in my Mexican roots and also in my American roots,” Salazar told the media at Mexico City International Airport.

Salazar, who was sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris on September 2, has yet to deliver his credentials to President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, with whom he hopes to meet soon.

The diplomat arrives as the region grapples with a historic migratory flow, with 147,000 undocumented immigrants detected in Mexico from January to August, triple that of 2020, and a record 212,000 undocumented immigrants detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in July alone.

“I know there are other things that are very important to all of us, (I will be) working to ensure that we have a migration system that works for the United States and also for Mexico,” Salazar acknowledged.

The Democratic politician will assume the ambassadorship replacing Christopher Landau, who had been appointed by Donald Trump in 2019 and left the post last January when Joe Biden assumed the presidency.

I am delighted to be in Mexico representing the government of President?Biden. I accept the honor of representing my country to our partner, neighbor and friend, Mexico. I am accompanied on this mission by my beloved family, who support and inspire me. pic.twitter.com/Zs6PyU8lev
– Ambassador-designate Ken Salazar (@USAmbMex) September 12, 2021

The diplomat also arrives at the Embassy as the Mexican government insists on reopening the shared border, closed to non-essential travel since March 2020 because of the covid-19 pandemic.

“I know that we are also joining now with President Lopez Obrador and the people of Mexico to ensure that together we are going to put this pandemic, which has been a global pandemic, that we, humans, are going to conquer this pandemic,” Salazar said.

I will work hard with the administration of President @lopezobrador_, Foreign Minister @m_ebrard and all of our partners in the @GobiernoMx to advance a wide range of issues relevant to our countries. #PartnersNeighborsFriends pic.twitter.com/Bep99hfDlU
– Ambassador-designate Ken Salazar (@USAmbMex) September 12, 2021

ENERGY

The official recalled that he held the positions of Colorado attorney general, senator, and secretary of the Interior in Barack Obama’s presidency between 2009 and 2013 when he prioritized the energy transition.

His diplomatic management will also be marked by a growing claim of U.S. companies to the government of Joe Biden, whom they demand to put pressure on Mexico for the new energy policies that prioritize fossil fuels from state-owned companies.

“We have to work, to ensure that we have a planet, our home, that we are going to pass on to our children and to generations to come, in a better condition (than) we found it,” the official commented without referring to Mexico’s policy.

SECURITY

Security will also be another priority issue, Salazar said.

U.S. Defense Department officials have warned that drug cartels control about a third of Mexican territory.

Meanwhile, the Mexican government in August sued 11 companies that manufacture and sell weapons, accusing them of negligence for facilitating illicit trafficking and producing models for drug traffickers.

“I also know that the security of the people of the United States and the people of Mexico is one thing that is too important for us, both countries,” Salazar said without referring to a specific event.

AMBASSADORS IN MEXICO

Salazar is the 61st ambassador in the history of diplomatic relations between Mexico and the United States.

The last two, Landau and Jacobson, have been among Mexico’s most charismatic and “pinned”.

As recounted by La Silla Rota from 2019, Landau became a popular character on social networks as he uploaded photos enjoying Mexican gastronomy while Jacobson even bought a house in San Miguel de Allende.

However, in diplomatic history, other ambassadors have become “troublemakers.”

“Ambassadors want to raise their own agendas before their bosses; they have done a lot of damage to the relationship,” Calderón told Roberto Rock in an interview with El Universal on February 22, 2011.