President-elect Donald Trump announced a “productive conversation” with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Wednesday and declared on Truth Social that America’s border crisis had been solved.
Trump claimed Sheinbaun had “agreed to stop migration through Mexico, and into the United States, effectively closing our Southern Border.” He also claimed that the two leaders “talked about what can be done to stop the massive drug inflow into the United States, and also, U.S. consumption of these drugs.”
He followed up that post minutes later with another update: “Mexico will stop people from going to our Southern Border, effective immediately. THIS WILL GO A LONG WAY TOWARD STOPPING THE ILLEGAL INVASION OF THE USA. Thank you!!!”
However, Sheinbaum has called cap on Trump’s framing of border “solution.” In a post on X, Sheinbaum said Mexico’s position is not to “close borders” but to “build bridges between governments and between peoples.”
En nuestra conversación con el presidente Trump, le expuse la estrategia integral que ha seguido México para atender el fenómeno migratorio, respetando los derechos humanos. Gracias a ello se atiende a las personas migrantes y a las caravanas previo a que lleguen a la frontera.…
— Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo (@Claudiashein) November 28, 2024
She added, “I explained to him the comprehensive strategy that Mexico has followed to address the migration phenomenon, respecting human rights. Thanks to this, migrants and caravans are assisted before they reach the border.”
A Trump spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether a plan was discussed between Sheinbaum and Trump.
The miscommunication is only the latest tête-à-tête between United States and Mexico after Trump vowed to slap as much as a 25 percent tariff on goods entering the U.S. from Mexico and Canada, which are considered U.S. allies.
“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,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform on Nov. 25. “This Tariff will remain in effect until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country!”
Mexico and Canada have bought hit back to warn that tariffs work both ways and could hurt the American economy just as much.
“To one tariff will follow another in response and so on, until we put our common businesses at risk,” said Sheinbaum on Tuesday, reported BBC.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his administration is also prepared to work through this in “constructive ways.”
“This is a relationship that we know takes a certain amount of working on, and that’s what we’ll do,” Trudeau told reporters Tuesday.
