December, 04, 2024-12:12
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Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum quickly poured cold water on Donald Trump's claim he secured the 'immediate' end of migrants crossing the southern border - insisting instead that her country will 'not close borders.'
Sheinbaum contradicted the president-elect just hours after he announced on Truth Social the two world leaders had a 'wonderful' conversation that resulted in 'effectively closing our Southern Border.'
She countered: 'In our conversation with President Trump, 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,' she said.
'We reiterate that Mexico's position is not to close borders but to build bridges between governments and between peoples.'
Sheinbaum's statement contradicting Trump came just after nemesis Maggie Haberman predicted Trump's claim of a huge immigration victory may have been more bluster than actual diplomacy.
Haberman said during an appearance on CNN that she was left puzzled by the president-elect's announcement.
'I have no idea what that actually means,' Haberman responded to his closed border claim. 'He has made statements like that before when he was president, and it didn’t actually amount to the closure of a border.'
Her scathing assessment came one day after Trump branded her with a vile nickname in response to a critical story about aide Natalie Harp.
Sheinbaum's conversation with Trump followed a two day back-and-forth of hardball tactics between the two leaders over immigration, fentanyl, and trade sanctions.
On Monday, Trump threatened to impose a crippling 25 percent tariff on Canada and Mexico 'until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country!'
After Trump's tariff threat, Sheinbaum fired back: 'Seventy percent of the illegal weapons seized from criminals in Mexico come from your country.'
But a day later, Trump appeared delighted after the two had a 'wonderful' discussion, offering details about their supposed agreement.
'Just had a wonderful conversation with the new President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo,' the Republican posted.
'She has agreed to stop Migration through Mexico, and into the United States, effectively closing our Southern Border.'
'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!'
Sheinbaum's initially agreed that the two leaders had an 'excellent' conversation.
'I had an excellent conversation with President Donald Trump,' she posted on X at the time.
'We addressed Mexico's strategy regarding the migration phenomenon, and I shared that caravans are no longer reaching the northern border as they are being addressed within Mexico.'
But she denied Trump's claim that she would close the border 'immediately.'
If Sheinbaum had followed Trump's original claim and closed the border, it would have marked a significant early victory for the President-elect after making illegal immigration one of the key planks of his 2024 platform.
Since FY 2021 there have been nearly 11 million migrants encounters, meaning those who crossed illegally, according to federal data.
Although the two leaders were not on the same page on Wednesday over their plans for the border, Sheinbaum also pointed out in her response that since last December, 'encounters at the Mexico–United States border have decreased by 75%.'
Reference: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14135607/Mexico-president-Sheinbaum-trump-border.html