President-elect Donald Trump declared victory in stopping illegal immigration through Mexico on Wednesday after speaking with that country’s leader. But Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum indicated that Mexico is already doing its part and has no interest in closing its borders.
The two spoke just days after Trump threatened to impose sweeping new tariffs on Canada and Mexico as part of his efforts to crack down on illegal immigration and drugs.
Trump said Sheinbaum “agreed to stop immigration through Mexico.” Sheinbaum separately noted on social media that she had told Trump that Mexico was already “taking care” of the migrant caravans, calling it an “excellent conversation.”
Sheinbaum added: “We repeat that Mexico’s position is not to close the borders, but rather to build bridges between governments and between peoples.”
While the status of the proposed tariffs remains unclear, Trump said in a post on his Truth Social account that this “effectively closes our southern border.” He called it a “very productive conversation.”
The conversation between the two leaders seemed to confirm to Trump the value of the threat to disrupt trade through import taxes. His initial social media post moved the financial markets and gave him a response that was quick to describe as a win. Even if the proposed tariffs fail to materialize, Trump can tell his supporters that the mere prospect of them is an effective political tool and continue to rely on tariff threats.
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Sheinbaum wrote on social media that the leaders “discussed Mexico’s strategy on migration issues, and I told him that the caravans are not arriving at the northern (US) border because Mexico is taking care of them.”
She added: “We also talked about strengthening cooperation on security issues, within the framework of our sovereignty, and the campaign we are carrying out to prevent the consumption of fentanyl.”
Illegal migration across Mexico’s border has declined in part because the Biden administration has gotten some extensive cooperation from Mexico — the kind that Trump appears to be celebrating.
Arrivals at the US-Mexico border are down 40% from an all-time high in December. U.S. officials mostly credit Mexican vigilance around rail yards and highway checkpoints.
Due to mounting pressure from the United States to prevent migrants from heading north, Mexican authorities have turned in the past few years to arresting them throughout the country and sending them to southern Mexico, in a strategy that experts see as an attempt to wear down migrants until they surrender.
Neither side clarified the status of the tariffs. But implementing it could lead to higher prices and slower economic growth, potentially torpedoing the US-Canada-Mexico trade agreement that was finalized in 2020 during Trump’s previous term in the White House.
Trump said on Monday that he would impose a 25% tax on all products entering the country from Canada and Mexico as one of his first executive orders when he takes office on January 20. He also proposed imposing an additional 10% tariff on China linked to its exports. Substances used in the production of fentanyl.
In announcing his plans, he criticized the influx of fentanyl and migrants crossing into the United States illegally, even though concerns at the southern border were hovering near four-year lows.
On Wednesday, Trump also posted that he is planning a large-scale ad campaign to explain “how bad fentanyl is to people,” anticipating that it will educate people about “how bad and terrible this drug is.”
Dangerously powerful opioids were developed to treat severe pain caused by diseases such as cancer, but are increasingly being mixed with other drugs in the illicit drug supply.
As of September, the United States imported $378.9 billion worth of goods from Mexico, $322.2 billion from China, and $309.3 billion from Canada.
& Edition 2024 The Canadian Press
