President-elect Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that the President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, has agreed to halt migration into the United States after a recent conversation.
The president-elect issued a statement on Truth Social saying he had a “wonderful conversation” with the leader of America’s southern neighbor.
“Just had a wonderful conversation with the new President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo. She has agreed to stop Migration through Mexico, and into the United States, effectively closing our Southern Border,” he said.
“We also talked about what can be done to stop the massive drug inflow into the United States, and also, U.S. consumption of these drugs. It was a very productive conversation!” he added.
The president-elect’s announcement comes after he recently threatened both Mexico and Canada with a 25 percent tariff on all products if they did not crack down and crime and drugs pouring through U.S. borders.
“As everyone is aware, thousands of people are pouring through Mexico and Canada, bringing Crime and Drugs at levels never seen before. Right now a Caravan coming from Mexico, composed of thousands of people, seems to be unstoppable in its quest to come through our currently Open Border,” he said.
“On January 20th, as one of my many first Executive Orders, I will sign all necessary documents to charge Mexico and Canada a 25% Tariff on ALL products coming into the United States, and its ridiculous Open Borders,” he added. “This Tariff will remain in effect until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country! Both Mexico and Canada have the absolute right and power to easily solve this long simmering problem. We hereby demand that they use this power, and until such time that they do, it is time for them to pay a very big price!”
More on this, this time from the Guardian:
During her Thursday address Sheinbaum clarified she did not agree to shut down the border.
“Each person has their own way of communicating,” Sheinbaum said. “But I can assure you, I guarantee you, that we never – additionally, we would be incapable of doing so – proposed that we would close the border in the north [of Mexico], or in the south of the United States. It has never been our idea and, of course, we are not in agreement with that.”
She added that the two did not discuss tariffs, but that the conversation with Trump had reassured her that no tit-for-tat tariff battle would be needed in future.
On Monday this week, Trump threatened to impose a 25% percent tariff on Mexico until drugs, including fentanyl, and undocumented immigrants “stop this Invasion of our Country”. He declared that Mexico and Canada should use their power to address drug trafficking and migration and, until they do, “it is time for them to pay a very big price!”
The following day, Sheinbaum suggested Mexico could retaliate with tariffs of its own.
On Wednesday, however, the conversation between Sheinbaum and Trump was “very kind”, the Mexican president said. She said she told Trump of the various migration initiatives her government has undertaken, including providing resources and support to central American countries and to migrants arriving in Mexico. Potential immigrants “will not reach the northern border, because Mexico has a strategy”, Sheinbaum said.
Trump “recognized this effort” by the Mexican government, Sheinbaum added.
Which makes it seem that, indeed, there is somethign in place that is designed to curb entirely the illegal immigration south of the Mexican border moving north, and likely also to stem border crossings at the northern Mexican border.
She is simply trying to save face by saying that she is not closing the border, but she is kind of floundering here. Obviously, she only means that the border remains open to the various legal crossings, and Trump had never meant this when he talked about “closing the border.”
This is disputed - to some degree:
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has sought to clarify details of a conversation she had with US President-elect Donald Trump, after the two leaders offered differing accounts of the call.
Following Wednesday’s call, Trump said Sheinbaum had “agreed to stop Migration through Mexico, and into the United States, effectively closing our Southern Border”.
This prompted Sheinbaum to say she had merely reiterated Mexico’s position, which she said was “not to close borders but to build bridges between governments and people”.
The call followed Trump’s announcement on Monday that, upon taking office in January, he would slap an across-the-board tariff of 25% on Mexico and Canada, and a 10% tariff on China.
He said the import duties on Mexico and Canada would only be removed once illegal immigration and drug trafficking to the US had stopped.
The announcement was initially met with combative language from President Sheinbaum, who vowed earlier on Wednesday to retaliate if the US triggered a trade war.
“If there are US tariffs, Mexico would also raise tariffs,” she said of the proposed duties, which appear to breach the USMCA trade deal that Trump himself struck in 2018 during his first presidency between the US, Mexico and Canada.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, the Mexican president said she did not specifically discuss tariffs in the phone call with Trump but that they had addressed immigration and fentanyl trafficking - the reasons Trump had named for imposing the tariffs in the first place.
She said she had reassured him that a migrant caravan he had expressed concern about was “not going to reach the [northern] Mexican frontier” with the US but she stressed that “it has never been our plan to close the border with the US”.
Sheinbaum insisted that the conversation had been “very amiable” and that they had agreed they would “continue with our talks”.