Mexico calls on Biden to fix immigration status of Mexican nationals

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Incoming U.S. President-Elect Joe Biden should quickly fulfill campaign promises to launch an immigration plan, including giving dual nationality to Mexicans working in the United States, Mexico's president said on Wednesday.

Immigration has become a priority issue for Biden, who is planning to roll back his predecessor's harsh measures and enact sweeping reforms that would put 11 million people living illegally in the U.S on a path to citizenship.

"I hope that today or in the coming days he presents the migration plan," Lopez Obrador said. "What it is going to consist of, how they are going to respect their right to be recognized, that they get dual nationality."

He said such a move should complement policies to support poor Central American nations and southern Mexico, areas which send many migrants to the United States.

Earlier this week, soldiers and police wielding batons in Guatemala clashed with members of an immigration caravan bound for the United States after some 8,000 Hondurans crossed into Guatemala, preventing most of them from moving forward.

More than 36 million Hispanics of Mexican origin live in the United States, according to Pew Research Center.

Lopez Obrador also said combating the coronavirus pandemic and the economic recovery were key areas for the bilateral relationship, saying U.S. stimulus could eventually help Mexico.

The leftist Mexican leader wished Biden well for his inauguration, saying he hoped the event was peaceful.

(Reporting by Raul Cortes Fernandez; Writing by Drazen Jorgic; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel and Bernadette Baum)