The United States and Mexico will continue talks today in Mexico City aimed at stemming the flow of irregular migrants, which reached record numbers last year along their porous common border.

Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Bárcena and Secretary of State Antony Blinken will lead the two delegations, which on the U.S. side will also include Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and White House Homeland Security Advisor Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall.

According to local media reports, the talks will also address issues such as the need to stop fentanyl trafficking.

This meeting will resume the talks held last December 28, when there was a bilateral summit in Mexico City after the United States closed several border crossings due to the migratory crisis.

The United States is facing one of the largest waves of undocumented arrivals at the border with Mexico in years and this is one of President Joe Biden’s vulnerabilities during his term in office that the Republicans are trying to exploit for political purposes.

Last month, both countries reaffirmed their existing commitments to promote orderly, humane, and regular migration, a statement said at the time.

«This includes strengthening our partnership to address the root causes of migration, such as poverty, inequality, and violence, and for the two countries’ initiative for Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan nationals,» they stressed.

Ongoing cooperation also includes intensified efforts to dismantle human smuggling, trafficking, and criminal networks, and continued work to promote legal rather than irregular migration channels.

Both delegations also agreed on the importance of maintaining and facilitating the vital bilateral trade that takes place along the shared border.

Press reports indicate that more than two million migrants entered Mexico last year, the majority seeking to reach the United States.