Trump speaks with Mexico’s president, claims an agreement to effectively close the border

On Wednesday, President-elect Donald Trump claimed victory in his efforts to stop illegal immigration through Mexico after a conversation with Mexico's leader. However, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum suggested that Mexico was already fulfilling its role and had no intention of closing its borders.

Trump spoke with Sheinbaum just a few days after he threatened to impose substantial tariffs on Canada and Mexico. The tariffs were part of his campaign to address illegal immigration and the flow of drugs.

Trump stated that Sheinbaum had "agreed to stop Migration through Mexico." On her part, Sheinbaum responded on social media, saying she informed Trump that Mexico was already "taking care of" migrant caravans. She described the exchange as an "excellent conversation."

"We reiterate that Mexico’s position is not to close borders but to build bridges between governments and between peoples," Sheinbaum emphasized in her message.

At the time, the exact status of the proposed tariffs was unclear. Nevertheless, Trump posted on his Truth Social account, saying the conversation was "effectively closing our Southern Border." He went on to call it a "very productive conversation."

This exchange between Trump and Sheinbaum seemed to confirm Trump's belief in the effectiveness of using tariff threats as a negotiation tool. His initial post on social media impacted financial markets, and he quickly portrayed it as a win for his strategy. Even if the tariffs were never implemented, Trump could still claim that simply threatening them was enough to bring results.

Sheinbaum later wrote on social media that the discussion covered Mexico's approach to handling migration. She said, "I told him the caravans are not reaching the northern (U.S.) border because Mexico is taking care of them." She also mentioned that they spoke about reinforcing security cooperation while respecting each country's sovereignty and discussed Mexico's ongoing campaign against fentanyl use.

She added, "We also talked about reinforcing cooperation on security issues, within the framework of our sovereignty, and the campaign we are carrying out to prevent fentanyl consumption."

The decrease in illegal migration across the Mexico-U.S. border is partly attributed to enhanced cooperation between the Biden administration and Mexico. Ironically, Trump appeared to be celebrating the results of these efforts.

In recent months, arrivals at the U.S.-Mexico border have dropped by 40% compared to the peak in December. U.S. officials credit this decline to the heightened vigilance of Mexican authorities, who have increased security at rail yards and highway checkpoints.

Under pressure from the United States to block migrants heading north, Mexican authorities have, over the past few years, intensified their efforts to round up migrants throughout the country and send them to southern Mexico. Experts see this approach as an effort to wear migrants down until they abandon their journey.

Neither side clarified whether the proposed tariffs would move forward. However, if they were implemented, the tariffs could lead to higher prices and potentially slower economic growth. Such a move could also threaten the trade agreement between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, which was finalized in 2020 during Trump’s previous term in office.

Trump also said on Monday that he planned to impose a 25% tariff on all products coming from Canada and Mexico as one of his first executive actions after taking office on January 20. Additionally, he proposed a 10% tariff on China, linked to its export of materials used in producing fentanyl.

While announcing his tariff plans, Trump criticized the ongoing flow of fentanyl and illegal immigration into the United States. He made these comments despite the fact that apprehensions at the southern border have been at a four-year low.

On Wednesday, Trump also posted his plans for a major advertising campaign to raise awareness about fentanyl. He predicted that this campaign would educate the public on "how really bad the horror of this Drug is."

Fentanyl is a potent opioid originally developed to treat severe pain from conditions like cancer. However, in recent years, it has increasingly been mixed with other illicit drugs, making it even more dangerous.

Through September, the United States imported $378.9 billion worth of goods from Mexico, $322.2 billion from China, and $309.3 billion from Canada.