Biden lauds democratic unity despite no-shows at summit

By ELLIOT SPAGAT and CHRIS MEGERIAN
Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — President Joe Biden says democracy is an “essential ingredient” for the Western Hemisphere’s future, an implicit rebuttal to leaders from around the world who boycotted the Summit of the Americas because authoritarians were not invited. He also drew sharp contrasts around one of the issues central to the summit, immigration, saying “safe and orderly migration is good for all of our economies” but “unlawful” forms are unacceptable. “We will enforce our borders through innovative, coordinated action with our regional partners,” Biden said Wednesday at the opening ceremony of events that run through Friday in Los Angeles.