President Biden arrives in Los Angeles for the Summit of Americas
President Joe Biden arrived in Los Angeles Wednesday for the Summit of Americas at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
Right after the president arrived, a group of protesters was standing near Figueroa and 11th Streets. A woman jumped out in front of a motorcade that was empty at the time. Secret service tackled her to the ground. The Los Angeles Police Department assisted with her arrest. The woman said she was protesting for women's rights.
Biden was greeted by Gov. Gavin Newsom and Mayor Eric Garcetti at Los Angeles International Airport at just before 2 p.m. He is scheduled to head first to Hollywood to tape an appearance for "Jimmy Kimmel Live" at the El Capitan Theatre complex on Hollywood Boulevard. He is then scheduled for a 4 p.m. meet-and-greet with summit delegates at the Microsoft Theater ahead of his 5:15 p.m. remarks at the inaugural ceremony at the summit.
The president's exact route from Hollywood to Downtown Los Angeles was not released, but motorists throughout the area should anticipate possible rolling closures to accommodate a presidential motorcade.
A senior administration official says the summit "is an opportunity for us to come together as a hemisphere to tackle some of t he top concerns of t he people in the region, including obtaining and sustaining economic prosperity, climate change, the migration crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Five formal documents will be released during the summit, "reflecting an ambitious hemispheric consensus on everything from support for civil society to promoting digital connectivity," the official said.
Biden announced the "Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity," a five-pronged effort to bolster regional economies by building on free-trade agreements and addressing "inequality and lack of economic opportunity and equity" during Wednesday's opening ceremony. The president is also scheduled to announce more than $300 million in regional assistance to combat food insecurity, and health initiatives aimed at preparing for future pandemics, and a partnership with the Caribbean community to address climate issues. On Friday, the last day of the summit, Biden and other leaders are expected to sign the "Los Angeles Declaration on Migration," which is described as a pact to pursue a "comprehensive" approach to address the crisis.
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador will not be attending the gathering, even though his country is among the nations expected the sign the declaration. Obrador pulled out of t he summit over the Biden administration's refusal to invite the autocratic leaders of Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
A protest gathering, called the People's Summit for Democracy, took place at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College. Other protests outside the summit will also be staged by Los Angeles-area Republicans over high gas prices and inflation, and climate activists who say they will drop a banner from the Seventh Street overpass of the 110 Freeway to call out the Biden administration's reliance on fossil fuels.
This week's gathering in Los Angeles is the first time the Summit of the Americas is the first time a U.S. city has hosted the event since 1994. The summit convenes once every three or four years.