United States President-elect Donald Trump claims he has won a victory in the fight against illegal immigration from Mexico, following a conversation with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.
The discussion took place following the Donald Trump threatens to impose tariffs on Canada and Mexico as part of his fight against illegal immigration and drug trafficking.
Next US President Says Claudia Sheinbaum Has “agreed to stop migration through Mexico”but the Mexican leader took to social media to clarify her position, stating that Mexico “already taking care” migrant caravans and describing the exchange as a “great conversation”.
“We reaffirm that Mexico’s position is not to close borders, but to build bridges between governments and between peoples”adds Claudia Sheinbaum.
Donald Trump considered the conversation a victory, saying on his Truth Social account that it had “closed our southern border” and that it was a “very productive conversation”.
Increased cooperation from Mexico in the face of illegal immigration
In another message posted on social media, Claudia Sheinbaum says caravans “don’t reach the northern border because Mexico takes care of it”.
She also highlighted the mutual commitment to addressing security concerns and combating fentanyl smuggling, adding that cooperation would remain “within the framework of our sovereignty”.
Illegal immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border has declined significantly in recent months, with crossings down 40% since last December. American authorities attribute this decline largely to increased cooperation from Mexico, which added checkpoints and intensified border patrols.
Mexican authorities have also adopted a strategy of relocating migrants in southern Mexico to dissuade them from continuing their journey north, a policy that experts say aims to discourage migrants by depleting their resources.
Tariff threats remain uncertain
Monday, Donald Trump reiterated his intention to impose a 25% tax on all imports from Canada and Mexicowhich is expected to be one of his first actions after taking office in January, as well as an additional 10% tariff on China for its alleged role in the export of equipment used in the production of fentanyl.
The potential consequences of these customs duties would be considerable. Through September, the United States imported $379 billion (€359 billion) worth of goods from Mexico, $322 billion (€305 billion) from China and $309 billion ( 293 billion euros) from Canada.
The status of the proposed tariffs is not yet clear. If applied, they could lead to higher consumer prices and a slowdown in economic growththereby threatening the trade agreement between the United States, Canada and Mexico that was finalized during Donald Trump’s first term.
On Wednesday, the latter announced the launch of a vast advertising campaign aimed at raising public awareness of the dangers of fentanyl, which he described as a drug “horror”.
