President Biden revealed on Friday that Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has been raising concerns about the flow of weapons from the U.S. into Mexico. This comes as the U.S. grapples with a devastating fentanyl crisis, the source of which is largely attributed to its southern neighbor.

Speaking at the Safer Communities Summit in West Hartford, Connecticut, Biden recounted conversations with López Obrador, stating, "I speak to the president of Mexico: ’Will you stop sending guns to us?’ They're asking us, ‘Please stop it. Cut it off at the border.’"

The issue of U.S. firearms entering Mexico has been a long-standing point of contention between the two nations. These weapons are often linked to cartel violence and other criminal activities within Mexico.

However, the U.S. is simultaneously confronting a surge in fentanyl trafficking across its borders, resulting in tens of thousands of American deaths annually. Customs and Border Protection seized 14,000 pounds of fentanyl in the last fiscal year and over 11,000 pounds so far this fiscal year. The National Institute of Health reported over 70,000 fentanyl-related deaths in the U.S. in 2021.

The fentanyl, largely manufactured in Mexican labs using precursor chemicals from China, fuels this crisis. Despite the devastating impact on American lives, López Obrador has at times downplayed the issue or shifted blame to the U.S., citing social decay and a lack of "love, of brotherhood, of hugs and embraces" as contributing factors.

He has also reacted strongly to Republican proposals to target drug labs within Mexico, threatening an "information campaign" to dissuade Hispanic voters in the U.S. from supporting Republican candidates.

López Obrador has appealed to Chinese President Xi Jinping for assistance in stemming the flow of precursor chemicals into Mexico, but in doing so, he again criticized the U.S., accusing them of disrespecting Mexican sovereignty and employing manipulative propaganda.