Obama pledges help to stop 'scourge' of Mexican drug lords

WASHINGTON — President Obama said Tuesday the United States will try to help Mexico beat back drug cartels that have triggered a "scourge" of violence and death throughout the region.

During an Oval Office meeting with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, Obama also sought support for his new immigration and Cuba policies, the leaders told reporters.

"Our commitment is to be a friend and supporter of Mexico," Obama said, including efforts to eliminate drug gangs "that are responsible for so much tragedy inside of Mexico."

That includes the abductions and probable murders of 43 college students, an incident that has roiled Mexican political and triggered protests that included a demonstration outside the White House during the Obama-Peña Nieto meeting.

Expressing sympathy for the fate of the students, Obama said "we want to be a good partner" in helping address the threat of drug cartels, but "ultimately it will be up to Mexico and its law enforcement to carry out the decisions that need to be made."

For his part, Peña Nieto endorsed Obama's new immigration moves and plans to normalize relations with Cuba, and thanked the president for U.S. help with the "clear challenge Mexico has to continue fighting organized crime."

The Mexican president visited the Oval Office after a difficult year for his government, including allegations of corruption and a deadly series of drug-related violence.

As Obama and Peña Nieto met at the White House, several dozen protesters gathered across the street in snowy Lafayette Park to protest the Mexican president's visit.

Some carried signs in the shape of roses, commemorating the 43 missing students, and claiming that some government officials had knowledge of the attacks on them. As demonstrators chanted or blew horns, others carried signs critical of Peña Nieto. One asked of the Mexican president: "Stop killing. Stop stealing. Start governing."

Arturo J. Viscarra, advocacy coordinator for a group called School of the Americas Watch, said the protests are also aimed at the "failed" U.S.-led war on drugs, and the American demand that fuels violent drug gangs based in Mexico.

"It's made in the USA," he said.

The U.S.-Mexico presidential summit came two months after Obama announced new immigration actions to defer deportations for up to 5 million migrants in the United States now in the country illegally. Many of those eligible for relief from deportation are from Mexico.

The two presidents said they discussed how the new rules might affect Mexico, and the qualifications necessary for migrants who want to stay in the United States. They also praised each other for efforts to preventing an illegal influx of migrants across the U.S.-Mexico border.

Obama and aides have said that smugglers are misleading people in Mexico and Central American about U.S. laws, and encouraging them to cross the border illegally.

The U.S. is "going to be much more aggressive at the border in ensuring that people come through the system legally," Obama said, and Mexico has been "very helpful" in conveying the right message across the region.

Peña Nieto lauded Obama for his "audacious" announcement on immigration, and said his government would help put new systems in place. For example, he said migrants in the United States will be able to retrieve birth certificates without having to travel back to Mexico.

Mexico will also work to make sure new rules benefit only migrants who are entitled to relief, Peña Nieto said, and to ward off "abuses, specially of the organized crime groups, groups that are doing human trafficking."

The presidential meeting came a month after Obama announced plans to normalize relations with Cuba after more than 50 years of Cold War-style tensions. Mexico and other Latin American countries have long advocated such a step.

Peña Nieto praised Obama for the action, while Obama asked his Mexican counterpart to help push Cuba toward a more democratic government. Obama said he will participate in a Summit of the Americans meeting this spring in Panama, and insist that human rights in Cuba be on the agenda.

Also describing the Cuba action as "audacious," Peña Nieto said that "Mexico will be a tireless supporter of the good relationship between two neighbors."

Economic issues are also on the table between the United States and Mexico. They include a new agreement on airplane routes between the U.S. and Mexico, and a North American Development Bank used to fund environmental projects.

The two presidents also discussed mutual projects on clean energy, climate change, and scientific and educational exchanges, Obama said.

In addition to the presidential summit, Vice President Biden spoke Tuesday at a U.S.-Mexico High-Level Economic Dialogue.

Biden discussed the prospects of the proposed Trans Pacific Partnership, a free trade agreement that would involve the United States, Mexico, and 10 other Asia-Pacific nations.

If a deal can be reached, the agreement would "connect not only the United States and Mexico, but 40% of the world's GDP," Biden said. "This is a game changer."