After a five year hiatus under former President Donald Trump, President Joe Biden has revived the North American Summit between the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The countries’ three leaders discussed pressing topics at the November 18 summit, such as immigration and supply chains. Biden is setting himself apart from his predecessor by restrengthening diplomatic ties between the three nations, aiming to appease isolationist fears lingering from the previous administration. Yet, his current immigration policies and protectionist trade policies continue to espouse some Trump-era nationalism, leaving onlookers sceptical. This contradictory behavior put Canadian and Mexican officials on guard as they entered the summit defensive of their own national interests. Despite the superficial appearance of a diplomatic reunification between the three leaders, it is clear that the overall tone of international cooperation continues to be shaped by protectionist attitudes.

In September, images of migrants chased by border patrol agents on horseback at the Texas border raised serious questions about immigration policy under the Biden administration. The incident left many wondering just how much Biden, who campaigned on a platform of modernizing America’s immigration policy, truly deviated from his predecessor. The Biden administration has maintained the highly contested Trump-era Title 42 policy, which critics have argued misuses a 1944 Public Health Service Act to interpret the Covid-19 pandemic as a means to allow the United States to expel asylum seekers, and has been unsuccessful in terminating the ‘Remain in Mexico’ asylum policy. Biden’s failure to enact meaningful changes from the previous administration’s immigration policies points to rigidity within the system and political willingness to remain tough on immigration. Negligence in reforming immigration policy was the first of many disappointments for those hoping Biden would redirect US policy in a more liberal direction. 

At the recent summit, Biden and Mexican President Andres Manuel López Obrador discussed these highly contentious migration issues with a clear underlying tension of disagreement. Mexico expressed grievances on the US’s delay in issuing temporary work visas even as American businesses complain about a worker shortage. The Biden administration places the blame for backlog issues on the previous administration, but has had little success in smoothing the process. López Obrador also reminded Biden of his campaign commitments to improve the situation for migrants at the border, stating his hope that President Biden will fulfill his promises of finding pathways to citizenship for the undocumented. While López Obrador praised Trump for his non-involvement in Mexican affairs, he has not shied away from openly critiquing Biden’s failures on immigration. With both countries exhibiting reservations on how to achieve cooperation, the path to a symbiotic relationship between them on border issues may be just as muddled as under Trump, if not more. 

On trade issues, Biden has seemingly been more than happy to walk the protectionist road that Trump paved for him. Among the first executive orders (EO) he signed upon inauguration was the ‘Buy American’ order, designedto strengthen US manufacturing, unions and the middle class. Overshadowing Trump’s previous Buy American orders, this EO is reportedly the biggest update to the Buy American Act in over 70 years. This action demonstrates Biden’s persistent protectionist shift, aligning him more closely with the former White House than with the neoliberal attitudes of past Democratic presidencies. The policy continuation sends a worrying message to allies that had hoped a left-leaning candidate would mean friendlier trade policies. 

Biden contradicted expectations and cemented the new foreign policy direction of the United States. The Canadian government has argued that US tax cuts on goods like electric vehicles, as part of the Build Back Better Act (BBBA), would have significant negative consequences for the Canadian automotive sector and threaten trade relations. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has stated that these Buy American policies are “counterproductive” to promoting commerce between the US and Canada and could cause further supply chain disruptions. US Press Secretary Jen Psaki rebuked this claim, stating that the tax credits are critical to helping US consumers. At the time of the Summit, President Biden entered, having narrowly passed the BBBA in the House of Representatives, cementing his protectionist stance in view of his trade partners.

The Summit failed to deliver any agreement regarding ongoing disputes over particulars of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Some key provisions of the initial agreement were meant to bolster labour laws in Mexico and invite American dairy farmers into the Canadian markets. Biden has been vocal about ways in which his trade partners failed to uphold their end of the agreement and accused both Canada and Mexico of their own protectionist policies. In May, the US established a dispute settlement panel under USMCA, challenging Canada’s practice of allocating a percentage of each dairy tariff-rate quota to Canadian dairy processors. In July, the US trade representative raised concerns over Mexico’s energy policies that favored Mexican state-owned enterprises. Going into the Summit, Biden sought to double-down on the US’s labor complaint against Mexico, highlighting that USMCA is meant to protect workers and avoid a race-to-the-bottom. The top priority for the Biden administration has remained the well-being of American workers and the strength of the American economy. 

Although another key provision of UMSCA was to strengthen the North American auto industry, Buy American provisions are set to benefit the American auto industry at the expense of Canada’s. Kristen Hopewell, Canada Research Chair in Global Policy at the University of British Columbia, highlights that “the strength of the North American supply chain has really been critical to the competitiveness of US manufacturing, and its ability to compete successfully with China in particular in global markets.” She points to the cross-border flows of the production and assembly processes of the US auto industry, raising concerns that recent Buy American policies will disrupt and weaken North American supply chains. 

Having already witnessed the devastating impacts of supply chain disruptions due to Covid-19, the three leaders held tenuous discussions on how to avoid such problems in the future. All three leaders found themselves wrapped up in a post-Trump, post-Covid atmosphere that put a significant emphasis on protecting domestic interests, while grasping at common concerns to foster cooperative agreement. These clashing motivations characterized not only the summit but the new direction and challenges of this cross-border alliance. 

The end of the North American Summit was not accompanied by any concrete new agreements, but it has in some ways restored the image of a united North America. However, the progress of cooperation is constrained by the continued defensive attitudes of the US, Canada and Mexico. The overall shift towards protectionism initiated by Trump has continued under Biden and complicated diplomatic negotiations on issues like trade and immigration. This persistent attitude of nationalism, spearheaded by America and followed by its two neighbors, will continue to make it difficult for the continent to act as a unified economic bloc in the face of global competition.