US President Joe Biden, during a meeting with his Mexican counterpart Andres Manuel López Obrador to discuss ways to combat illegal immigration and inflation, stressed the need to treat immigration as a common problem, calling Mexico an equal partner of the United States.

Biden indicated that his administration is exploring ways for immigrants from Mexico and Central America to legally cross to work in the United States, noting that last year US authorities granted 300,000 Mexicans temporary visas to work in the country.

The White House statement said that Mexico has pledged $1.5 billion to fund border infrastructure between the two countries between 2022 and 2024.

For his part, the Mexican president called for a “bold program” to address immigration issues and urged the United States to allow more skilled Mexican and Central American workers into the country.