By EFE
Nov 28, 2024, 1:49 PM EST
The president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, assured this Thursday with “certainty” that he “never” proposed closing the border in his call with the president-elect of the United States, Donald Trumpwho on Wednesday stated that the Mexican Government had guaranteed it.
“Everyone has their own way of communicating, but I can assure you, I give you the certainty, that we would never, and we would be incapable, propose that we were going to close the border in the north (of Mexico).or in the south of the United States, has never been our approach,” declared the president in her daily conference.
Sheinbaum referred to contrasting accounts of her talk with Trump, who stated on Truth Social that the president “agreed to stop migration through Mexico and into the United States, effectively closing the border,” while she said on X that she “reiterated that Mexico’s position is not to close borders.”
“Of course we don’t agree with that (closing the border). So, President Trump has his way of communicating, but what we talked about on the call, essentially, is this (Mexico’s immigration) strategy,” he said.
Wednesday’s call followed Trump’s announcement Monday that one of his first executive orders will be to impose 25% tariffs on “all products” from Mexico and Canada until the invasion of illegal migrants is “stopped” and drugs, particularly fentanyl.
In the talk, Sheinbaum defended that migrant caravans no longer reach the border with the United Statesas Trump argued when announcing the tariffs, and Mexico’s immigration policy, in the face of a 75% drop in daily encounters of undocumented immigrants since last December, which she cited in a letter on Tuesday.
“And I told her: this caravan that you talk about in your publication (in Truth Social) is not going to reach the northern border because Mexico has a strategy, so that’s how the conversation went,” the president now remarked.
A possible trade war?
The president of Mexico stated this Thursday that “There will not be a potential tariff war” with the United States, which contrasts with the letter he sent to the Republican leader on Tuesday in which he warned that “one tariff will come in response” and in which he rejected his “threats.”
“We did not particularly talk about the issue of tariffs, but about the issue that he raised as matters of interest and that, if not (attended), He was going to impose tariffs, it was no longer considered that wayIt was a very friendly conversation between both of us, we agreed that there will be a very good relationship, he remarked.
The head of the Executive narrated that in the talk, the second she has had with Trump since his election on November 5, they addressed the actions carried out by the Mexican Government on immigration and fentanyl, something that the American politician “recognized.”
“What I proposed to President Trump is the immigration strategy that has been going on for months.which has been strengthened since, particularly, January 2024, in the face of an increase in migration that occurred, particularly in the last months of 2023, we are strengthening this comprehensive strategy,” he commented.
On the other hand, Sheinbaum stated that “there is no firm project” to install a Chinese automotive plant in Mexico, an issue that has raised friction with the United States and Canada before the review in 2026 of the trilateral trade agreement, the USMCA. signed in Trump’s first presidency (2017-2021).
With information from EFE.
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