Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro praised the “courage and clarity” of Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador for his decision not to attend the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles this week.

Maduro said that Washington’s decision not to invite him personally or the leaders of Cuba and Nicaragua “is an act of discrimination” and that the US government “failed the summit.”

The absence of the Mexican president raises questions about the importance of high-level discussions on curbing immigration at the US southern border, a priority for US President Joe Biden and could cause a diplomatic embarrassment for the United States.

A boycott of the Mexican president and possibly some other leaders could diminish the importance of the summit as the United States seeks to discuss immigration and economic issues in the region.

A senior Biden administration official said on Monday that the decision to exclude Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua came after weeks of intense discussions and that it was prompted by concerns about the human rights and democracy situation in the three countries.