U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Construction on the Tucson sector border wall in January 2020.

MEXICO CITY — Two executive orders from President Joe Biden have already generated reactions from the Mexican government.

One is to stop construction of the border wall. The other maintains the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which protects some undocumented immigrants who arrived as children from deportation. 

On Twitter, Mexico’s secretary of foreign affairs, Marcelo Ebrard, saluted President Biden for both of his executive orders. 

He says the DACA program could turn into a path for dual citizenship, and that his decisions could foster cooperation and understanding between the two nations.

Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Biden’s order to stop the construction of the border wall may represent a significant change on the policies followed by his four predecessors (Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump).

López Obrador said previous presidents, Democrats and Republicans, would always build a portion of a wall along the nearly 2,000 miles of border with Mexico. 

He said Biden could be the first U.S. president to change the pattern, which would be a positive step for improving relations with Mexico.