Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo appeared to downplay President-elect Donald Trump’s claim that she had agreed to “effectively” close the nation’s border with the United States.
Sheinbaum Pardo “agreed to stop Migration through Mexico, and into the United States, effectively closing our Southern Border,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday.
In another post, he added that 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!!!”
But Sheinbaum Pardo took to social media to say that Mexico was already taking actions to prevent migrants from entering the U.S. and had no interest in closing its borders.
Newsweek has contacted spokespeople for Trump and Sheinbaum Pardo for comment via email.
Trump and Mexico’s leader spoke after the president-elect threatened to impose sweeping new tariffs on Canada and Mexico as part of his effort to crack down on illegal immigration and drugs.
Sheinbaum Pardo wrote in posts on social media on Wednesday that she had an “excellent conversation” with Trump.
“We discussed Mexico’s strategy on migration issues, and I told him the caravans are not reaching the northern border, because Mexico is taking care of them,” she wrote on X.
“We also talked about strengthening cooperation on security issues, within the framework of our sovereignty, and the campaign we are carrying out in the country to prevent the consumption of fentanyl,” she said.
In another post, Sheinbaum Pardo said she “explained to [Trump] 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 added: “We reiterate that Mexico’s position is not to close borders but to build bridges between governments and between peoples.”
Trump on Monday said he would impose a 25 percent tax on all products entering the country from Canada and Mexico as one of his first executive orders upon taking office in January. The tariffs would remain in place, he said, “until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country!”
While Trump said Mexico was “effectively closing our Southern Border,” he has not clarified the state of the proposed tariffs.
Trump railed against the flow of fentanyl and migrants crossing into the U.S. illegally when announcing the plans, even though border crossings have dropped significantly over the past year. Arrivals at the U.S.-Mexico border have dropped 40 percent from an record high in December 2023, according to The Associated Press.
Trump on Wednesday also said that he is planning a large-scale advertising campaign to explain “how bad Fentanyl is for people to use” so people know “how really bad the horror of this Drug is.”
