WATCH: Biden meets Mexico’s President López Obrador for welcome ceremony

President Andres Manuel López Obrador formally welcomed his American counterpart, President Joe Biden, to the Palacio Nacional — the first time since 2014 that Mexico has hosted a U.S. president.

Watch in the player above.

The two leaders met together ahead of a private dinner Monday evening that includes Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the first ladies of each country.

Biden and Trudeau will hold their own talks Tuesday, and then the three leaders will gather for the main summit discussions.

López Obrador said Monday, in the leadup to this week’s summit of North American leaders, that he would consider accepting more migrants than previously announced under Biden’s plan to turn away people from four nations who cross illegally into the United States.

All three nations are struggling to handle an influx of people arriving in North America, as well as crack down on smugglers who profit from persuading migrants to make the dangerous trip to the U.S.

Other issues on the table include climate change, energy and supply chains.

Ahead of the summit, Biden announced a major shift in migration policy, which had been negotiated with Mexico. Under the plan, the U.S. will send 30,000 migrants per month from Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti and Venezuela back across the border from among those who entered the U.S. illegally. Migrants who arrive from those four countries are not easily returned to their home countries for a variety of reasons.

In addition, 30,000 people per month from those four nations who get sponsors, background checks and an airline flight to the U.S. will get the ability to work legally in the country for two years.

On his way to Mexico, Biden stopped in El Paso, Texas, for four hours — his first trip to the border as president and the longest he’s spent along the U.S-Mexico line. The visit was highly controlled and seemed designed to counter Republican claims of a crisis situation by showcasing a smooth operation to process migrants entering legally, weed out smuggled contraband and humanely treat those who’ve entered illegally.

But the trip was likely to do little to quell critics from both sides, including immigrant advocates who accuse the Democratic president of establishing cruel policies not unlike those of his hardline predecessor, Republican Donald Trump.

The number of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border has risen dramatically during Biden’s first two years in office. There were more than 2.38 million stops during the year that ended Sept. 30, the first time the number topped 2 million.

For the U.S., the major summit talking points are migration, drug trafficking and building on Biden’s push on electric vehicles and manufacturing. Mexico is focused on economic integration for North America, supporting the poor in the Americas and regional relationships that put all governments on equal footing. Canada is looking to expand on green initiatives.

The leaders of Canada and Mexico have voiced concerns over Biden’s “Buy American” plan. And while Biden’s push toward electric vehicles is a boon to both U.S. neighbors because of the tax credits for North American batteries, there’s concern the U.S. allies will be left behind.

Meantime, the U.S. and Canada accuse López Obrador of trying to favor Mexico’s state-owned utility over power plants built by foreign and private investors, something that’s forbidden under the three countries’ free trade pact.

Biden’s relationship with Trudeau is warmer than with Lopez Obrador, but he still hasn’t made it to Canada during his presidency, despite White House officials saying for months he planned to head north following a summit of the Americas in Los Angeles last fall.

López Obrador skipped the California summit because Biden didn’t invite the authoritarian regimes of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua. He’s also made no secret of his admiration for Trump. And he was one of only three world leaders who didn’t recognize Biden’s election victory until after the formal Electoral College vote and the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.