Mexico President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador said Friday that Mexico won't respond to US President Donald Trump's threat of coercive tariffs with desperation, but instead will push for dialogue.
A day after Trump's threat to impose a 5 per cent tariff that could increase incrementally to 25 per cent on all Mexican imports, Lpez Obrador seemed convinced that Trump just needed to be informed of all that Mexico has been doing to slow illegal migration, and he dispatched Foreign Affairs Secretary Marcelo Ebrard to Washington Friday.
"We are carrying out our responsibility in immigration policy," Lpez Obrador said at his daily morning news conference. He made no promises of new action to stem the flow of mostly Central American immigrants transiting Mexico to reach the US border.
Mexico has stepped up raids on migrant caravans travelling through the southern states of Chiapas and Oaxaca this year.
It has deported thousands of migrants and frustrated thousands more who wait endlessly for permits that would allow them to travel legally through Mexico.
"We have to help so that they don't enter the United States illegally, but we also have to do it respecting human rights," Lpez Obrador said.
"Nothing authoritarian. They're human beings."
Because of the Dems, our Immigration Laws are BAD. Mexico makes a FORTUNE from the US, have for decades, they can easily fix this problem. Time for them to finally do what must be done."
Lpez Obrador has said before that Mexico can expect to take some hits from the Trump administration as the U.S. elections near. On Thursday, Trump tweeted: "On June 10th, the United States will impose a 5 per cent Tariff on all goods coming into our Country from Mexico, until such time as illegal migrants coming through Mexico, and into our Country, STOP. The Tariff will gradually increase until the Illegal Immigration problem is remedied."
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