Mexico already has worked to eliminate the caravans of thousands of illegal aliens from around the world approaching, and breaching, America’s southern border. And it has worked on eliminating the flow of illegal drugs into the U.S.
So claims Claudia Sheinbaum, the president of Mexico, who was reacting to President-elect Donald Trump’s promise of 25% tariffs should those migrant and drug problems continue as they have under Joe Biden and his border czar, Kamala Harris.
A report from Newsweek documents Sheinbaum’s comments, including claims that those migrant caravans no longer are reaching the U.S. border.
“Caravans of migrants no longer reach the border,” Sheinbaum said, while explaining that her intention is to present Trump with a letter.
“She also emphasized Mexico’s efforts to curb the flow of drugs, including the synthetic opioid fentanyl, while noting that it remains ‘a public health and consumption problem within your country’s society,'” the report noted.
The publication said it had reached out to Trump’s transition team regarding his “harsh rhetoric on migration.”
And it noted that, despite Sheinbaum’s statements, a caravan of some 1,500 migrants from Central and South America is aiming to reach the U.S. before Trump’s policies take effect.
“Maybe President Trump doesn’t know this, but of those arriving at the border—which is significantly fewer, 75 percent less than in December 2023—half them have a CBP One appointment. In other words, they have an appointment. So, they [the U.S.] are the ones inviting them to come to the United States,” she said.
Of course, The CBP One feature is a product of the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris administration. While it was created in 2020 to help truckers and shippers, the Biden-Harris team expanded it to include illegal aliens in 2023.
Sheinbaum also claimed Mexico is working on migration, but said the U.S. should do more to address its “root” causes.
“If a percentage of what the United States spends on war were dedicated to peace and development, it would address the underlying causes of migration,” she claimed.
In fact, studies in recent years show that to address those “root” causes, the U.S. would have to create economies to match its own prosperity in Central and South American nations.
The report said Sheinbaum also threatened to retaliate with tariffs of Mexico’s making.
